Cami of Scanra
by CoPpErFyRmAgE
Summary: ON HIATUS A girl from Scanra main character falls straight into Kel's arms right after the war. She says her name is Cami and she comes bearing news for the king. Watch as her adventures unfold...
1. Cami of Scanra

"Finally," breathed Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan as she walked along the River Vassa. The war was over with Scanra; Tortall, her homeland, had won. She had some peace and quiet after running her fort and finding the manufacturer of the lethal killing devices, Blayce Younger of Galla. She had taken away all his fuel for the metal things, therefore turning the tide of the war. She was walking along the river that bordered the to countries with her now _very_ good friend, Allana of Pirate's Swoop.

"I know what you mean," said Allana with feeling. "Being a commander and a knight is really tiring." Allana was the only other lady knight of the realm, besides Kel. Allana tucked a lock of her coppery hair behind her ear and turned her startling violet eyes to the river.

It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining, birds were chirping, everything that you wish you had on any given spring day. The roar of the nearby waterfall, where the river dropped about 50 feet into a lake below, was pleasant, though the river was high and moving fast. There was a slight breeze that ruffled Kel's blondish-brown hair, which was cropped just below her ears. It was perfect.

Now that the war was over, the two friends were having a long talk about anything that didn't concern war. As far as they were concerned, it had lasted way too long.

Suddenly a scream came from upriver, and as they turned, they beheld the strangest sight. A human, 13 or 14 by the look of it, was on a small rowboat, standing up. The boat was swaying treacherously from side to side, threatening to drop it's young passenger into the flowing river. Then Kel saw the big picture. Any moment now, the boat would go flying into open air, catapulting the person into the huge drop to her death.

Kel stripped off her sword and dagger, along with other baggage she carried, and gave them to Allana. "Don't lose these," she said, and dove into the water.

With fast strokes, she soon reached the boat's edge. "You there! Come over here to me, then jump out the boat!"

Frightened, the human shook their head and moaned. The cap that covered his or her head flew off to reveal short golden tresses. It was definitely a girl.

"Trust me! Please! Do want to die or not?" Kel yelled desperately. The roar in her ears meant the falls were getting closer.

That seemed to make up the girl's mind. She jumped over-board and started swimming towards shore, but the pack she had was slowing her down. Kel reached for it, but the girl shrieked and she stopped. Kel grabbed her arm and the moved towards shore, fighting against the current for their lives.

Suddenly a roar filled both of their ears and they knew that in two seconds, they were going to be flung into oblivion. Then Kel's hand grasped dirt, and they were safe. Allana grasped both of their hands and heaved them up towards shore. Then both Kel and the girl lay on the solid ground gasping for breath.

"For a moment there I was sure that you two were goners," said Allana grimly. "Don't you _ever_ do that again, Kel."

The woman in question grinned, and said, "Yes ma'am." Then she turned to the girl. "I guess it's a bit too late to say 'Hi, my name is Kel,' but why not." She stuck her hand out and said, grinning, "Hi, my name is Kel. What's yours?"

"My name is Camillianna, or Cami if you please, ma'am. I come from Scanra." The girl gasped, and stood up. She tried to curtsy, but looked at her apparel and stopped. She was dressed in a white shirt and breeches, both ragged and soaking. She had short blond hair and sparkling blue eyes, a trademark of her Scanran ancestors. She was about five foot six inches, tall for her age. Other than the pack she carried, there seemed to be no baggage. "I'm 14 years old, and I live as a commoner in Granih's Hill."

Allana stared at her. "But that's nearly in the middle of Scanra! How could you possibly get here?"

Cami coughed, spitting up water. "My mother and father sent me away disguised as a soldier. They wanted me to have a new life." Then something seemed to dawn on her and she then shouldered her pack and said, "I must see your king."

"Whatever for?" asked Kel.

"I can't say," the girl looked away. "But it's extremely important. Please will you take me to him?"

Kel sighed. "Maybe."

"Oh thank you! Thank you!" the girl cried and hugged Kel around the waist, for though she was tall, she wasn't tall enough to reach up to Kel's six feet two inches. "I promise that I'll repay for all that you've done!"

Kel turned to look embarrassingly at Allana, who had a crooked smile on her face. Then Kel sighed, and said, "We have a long travel to Corus, the capital, and you look chilled to the bone. We'll stopped at a town nearby to get you cleaned up, then we go straight to Mindelan, which is my home. Dom, my husband, is waiting for me there. _Then_ we will go to Corus."

Cami whooped and jumped in the air. Then all three of the got on their horses, (Cami on Kel's) and left.


	2. The Wise Owl Inn

_OMG, you guys, thanks a ton for the great reviews! _

_**PsychoLioness**: You've always been great and I love you (not literally)!Do you have a screen name?_

_**Zeetah**: Thanks a lot. It makes me feel great that I have a new reader!_

_Now for the second chapter!_

They reached town quickly, talking while riding hard. Though Cami liked these new strangers, she was careful not to say anything about her business with the ruler, no matter how important they looked. They were strangers in this weird new country, and she wasn't sure that she could trust them.

When they arrived at a small inn called 'The Wise Owl', Kel and Alanna stopped their horses. Kel motioned to Cami to get off, the girl swung herself off the horse with ease. She had always been comfortable with animals, though she didn't know any noble would march around with so many sparrows and a mangy dog. But Cami kept her mouth shut so she wouldn't offend her rescuers.

Cami reached out her hand to pat Kel's horse's head, or tried to. The moment her hand reached out, the horse's jaws snapped forward and Cami snatched her hand away from the spot. The horse's mouth closed on thin air, and the two women grinned as the horse snorted.

"I guess this isn't the time to say 'nice horsie'," muttered Kel under her breath and she stared in disbelief at the now-violent horse.

Kel laughed and said, "This here's Peachblossom," She pat the animal's head and he whinnied softly. Cami snorted, and the horse stared at her with a look that seemed to say 'Watch it.' "He's a one woman horse, and doesn't take well to strangers."

"Do you realize what a huge understatement you just made?" said the other lady wryly. Cami didn't know her name. As if she read her mind, the woman turned to Cami and said, "By the way, my name's Alanna. Nice to meet you."

Cami gasped. "Alanna? The lady knight? The one that found the Dominion Jewel?"

Alanna nodded, shamefaced.

Then Cami turned to Kel and said, "Then you-you must be Keladry of Mindelan, the one that killed Blayce!" She fumbled and said, "I should curtsy or something-"

"Please don't" interrupted Kel.

"Why not?"

"One, you're a Scanran, meaning that you really shouldn't honor us, from what we've done to your country and all. Two, I'm tired. Manners ask that we bow in return, and my back's sore." explained Kel calmly.

Cami grinned, and the y finished picketing the horses and entered the inn.

…

They found themselves inside a large, very crowded room filled with drunk people. They were all celebrating for the end of the war, and obviously there was a huge party going on. Alanna, who was at the front, helped push their way through the crowd to an empty table in the corner. Food at last, Cami thought to herself as they sat down.

"Now," began Alanna the Lioness firmly. Kel groaned; she was obviously used to these speeches, Cami noted. "You two go find the innkeeper and asked for two adjoining rooms with two beds in one, and one in the other. Also, two hot baths, one for each of you. I'll stay here and order food."

Now it was Cami's turn to groan. She was _starving_.

"Come on Cami," said Kel, who was standing up. "It's a bad idea to go against the wishes of the Lioness here. She has a wicked sharp temper and a strong Gift to boot." Before Alanna could reply, Cami felt her small hand enclosed in Kel's big one, and she was yanked up. She and Kel walked away quickly to do as Alanna bid.

Cami watched as Kel told the innkeeper what they required and paid him two copper pieces. Then she turned to Cami and said, "Here's your key. Tolian, the innkeeper, promised to have a hot bath in your room in a moment."

Cami accepted her key with thanks and headed up the stairs. There was her room: 24. She fit the key into the lock and opened the door. Sure enough, there was a maid putting a steaming basin down on the floor, along with towels and soap.

"Here's your bath milady," said the maid as she stood up to leave.

"Oh, don't call me that," protested Cami. "I'm no lady."

"As you wish, lady," answered the maid, and she closed the door behind her before Cami could protest any further.

Cami shook her head, and stuck her finger into the water. She yelped; it was _hot_. Then she undressed and slipped into the water. I'm no lady, she thought to herself as she laid down with a contented sigh. She closed her eyes…

_She was five again, running around her village square with her other little friends as parents watched. She screamed with delight; the one who was 'It' had almost tagged her. She was enjoying the summer's day, and she was glad that she could run and play as she pleased._

_Then a long dark shadow was cast over her. She turned to look into an awful face. He had dark scraggly hair and mean green eyes. His teeth were yellow and rotting, a sign of how he took care of himself. He was tall and was clothed in rawhide armor. She was too frightened to cry._

_"Warlord Maggur," someone whispered and everyone backed away, children to their parent's arms. Except her._

_"What," he spat, "is this?" He stared at her like she was a bit of filth on his shining crooked dagger on his side. Her mother ran forward, her face terrified._

_"Please, sir, that's my daughter-" she started to say, but he slapped her across the face. She fell to the ground, her body making a thumping sound as it hit the cobblestone. She lay there, eyes wide with fear. Nobody dared to breathe._

_"I didn't give you permission to speak, swine," yelled Maggur. "I am your warlord and you will bow down to me!" His evil face twisted into a horrid smile as he leered at the woman on the ground. Then he turned back to the child who was whimpering softly. "You see your mother, girl? You see her laying on the ground in fear? Well, that's how it should be. That's how you all should be!" He roared. "I think I will have to teach you a lesson not to cross King Maggur's path again." He added softly. A searing pain spread across her arm, and she sank to the ground screaming in pain…_

Cami sat up, spraying water everywhere. She looked wildly around, expecting to see the awful king's face grinning down as she bled, but only saw the comforting light of her inn room. She then turned to look at her arm, which was throbbing worse than ever. Since the wound was inflicted by the warlord, it pained her whenever a war was, or was going, to happen. Furious that Scanra had lost the war against Tortall, King Maggur was readying troops for another war with a magic weapon so powerful, he believed that noone could sustain it. That's why Cami had to see the king. She had to warn him of the impending danger.

She quickly finished scrubbing and got out of the bath. She got dressed and ran downstairs to her new comrades, whom she had decided to tell the whole truth. They needed to know.


	3. Leaving

"What took you so long?" asked Kel when Cami sat down, panting, at their table in the corner. "I was almost about to go up and find you."

"Memories," said Cami grimly. She quickly explained about what had happened in the tub. "And that," she finished, "is why I _must_ warn the king. He needs to know this."

Alanna and Kel nodded, their faces as upset as Cami felt. "But what is this new weapon of his, I wonder." said Kel thoughtfully. Then she looked at Cami and added, "I don't suppose _you_ know?"

"No, milady," answered Cami unhappily. "I would've told you right away if I had."

"I should have known that in the first place," said Kel. "And stop with this 'milady' stuff. It's giving me a headache."

"You're completely right Cami," added Alanna. "Jon should hear this."

"Jon?" asked Cami.

"The king. He was a good friend of mine during our schoolings for knighthood." explained Alanna. "I'll take you to the king, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That you tell us how you _really_ got here."

Cami sank back in her chair and put her head in her hands. I knew it would come to this, I just knew it, she thought as she sank back into her memories.

_A whiskery chin brushed her face as her father kissed her good-bye. Her mother hugged her fiercely as she sobbed into her daughter's shoulder. "I wish you didn't have to go," she cried. "I want you to stay here forever and ever…"_

_"Marion, she has to go. You know it." Her father's gruff voice said as her said his last words to her. Those were some of the last one she heard him say. Maybe for forever. "Honey, you take care of yourself out there."_

_"Yes, Da," she answered as her own tears trickled down her face. "I'll never forget you. Or Ma." As she said those words, she saw tears spring to her father's eyes for the first time in years. It made her mother break out into fresh sobs._

_It had been 4 weeks until her fourteenth birthday, before se became a woman, and her mother had burst into her room crying. She told her daughter to pack up clothes and other valuable items. She told her daughter that she had to go to Tortall to warn the king there of the war. King Maggur had decided on a new one, for he was furious at being defeated. Now he had a new more powerful weapon than the killing devices, and her mother shook her head when she asked what they were. She wouldn't tell her. She was to go disguised as soldier-raider, a small party of 20 or of young boys and men that would travel to the border of Tortall to make mischief for the 'enemies'. She stood in front of a mirror and took out a knife. She cut her long golden tresses like a boy, and got dressed in the raider clothes her Da had smuggled to her. Then she went out of her room after double-checking that she had everything to say her good-byes._

_"Wait," her mother said. "I have something for you."_

_"Hurry up Marion. The soldiers won't wait." Da told her, and as she rushed out of the room, he pulled her close. "Here, Cami, I want you to have this." He pulled out his Raven Armory knife. It had been in the family for generations, and it was her father's most prized possession._

_"Da, no-" She protested, but he closed her hands over the blade and quieted her._

_"Keep it safe, Camillianna, keep it safe. And remember, whenever you draw that blade, think of your mother and I, and how much we love you." He said, and they held each other unti her mother came back, rocking back and forth, crying softly in each other's arms. _

_"Here, take these," Her mother pressed a few gold pieces and a golden brooch encrusted with jewels. "I love you Camillianna. I always will." They hugged fiercely. "And here's one more thing." She pushed a small tattered brown leather book in the girl's arms, and she stared at it. _

_"What's this?" she asked. _

_"When you need to know who you really are, read it." Her mother gave her one last hug and gave her a little push towards the door. "We love you."_

_Her last glance of her family was her parents standing in the doorway of their small cottage, clasped together, smiling for her sake, and crying for all of theirs. _

When her memory let her go, Cami felt something wet run down her cheeks. She swiped her hand across her face; she was crying, and she couldn't stop. The memory of her parents was just too powerful. "I don't think I can talk about it just now," she whispered, and leaned against Kel's warm body next to her and kept crying softly.

"Don't worry, honey," said Alanna gently. At Kel's alarmed look, she added less kindly, "Unlike you, _I _have children."

"Well _I_ have nieces and nephews!" Then she frowned, and added, "But I was never really around for their childhood. I was always either training to be a knight or being one."

While the two knights squabbled, Cami couldn't get rid of her father's voice. _Here Cami, I want you to have this…_ She pulled out his knife now, and the 'Raven Armory' symbol glinted in the candlelight. Kel saw her look at it and she shouted, "Hey! That looks like mine!" She pushed Cami away and asked, "Are you a thief?"

"No, no, no," Cami sobbed harder.

"Hush Kel, she's only a child." Alanna told Kel sternly, sounding so much like Cami's mother that she just cried harder. Then she looked at Kel's wary glare and knew that she would have to explain her way out of this one.

She picked up a linen napkin and dried her eyes. Then she looked at Kel straight in the eye and said quietly, "It's mine." She proceeded to explain her memory, her mother's warning, her gifts, and the worst part-leaving.

Kel and Alanna were shocked; the girl had a horrible past. Alanna could understand a little, for she had lost a father, mother, and twin brother to the Black God of death, but she was over those tragedies, though it pained her only sometimes. Cami's memories were fresh, and they hurt terribly.

"I traveled with the soldiers, but I couldn't bathe with them so they thought I was some sort of prissy boy. I also smelled awful." Alanna nodded in understanding; when she was training for her shield, girls weren't allowed to be knights, and so to conceal her identity, she couldn't go swimming with the boys. They thought that she was prissy then too. Thank the Goddess they had private baths in their rooms, Alanna prayed. "I was with them for a while, and soon I turned fourteen." She accepted their congratulations with a nod and continued. "After a while, I was immune to my smell, and so were the others, so they started to talk to me, which made the journey a bit more enjoyable. Then we arrived at the River Vassa. We took a boat across and tied the rope to a nearby stump so everyone could get off. Well, me being small compared to all those men, I was pushed to the very back. When I was about to get off, the rope snapped, sending me careening downstream towards those deadly falls. The rest is history." finished Cami.

"What about your face? It was easy to tell that you were a girl; how did they not know?" asked Kel.

"Well, as you probably know, men are stupid sometimes." They all grinned. "Besides, my cap hid most of my face."

"What a hard life," remarked Alanna, "Well, at least you're in good hands now. We won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Thank you," said Cami quietly, looking down at her hands. "I don't know how I'll repay you."

"You don't have to," replied Alanna. "In fact, you already have, with your news for the king." Then she looked around for something to distract them from this emotional scene. "Oh look, here comes the food!"

"Yum!" said Cami enthusiastically. "I'm _starving_."

"Then dig in. We have a long ride to Mindelan the next few days." said Kel, but Cami was too busy eating; she hadn't had a proper meal in weeks.


	4. Mindelan

Ok, you guys were awesome. I luv your comments and stuff. I feel so loved (a friend of mine's quote). Now messages to each and every one of you (which is not that many but good for 3 chapters):

**Zerrin of the Wind:** I know it's sad, but well, that's what makes the world go 'round! As for the weapon, coming up soon, but not now, hee-hee…

**Veleda:** Critiques don't have to be well rounded! At least I don't think so… anyway, thank you so very much.

**PhyscoLioness**: Thanks a lot, Hannah! I don't know a thing for dialogue or non-dialogue…if any of you guys reading this does, say it on your ext review!

Ok now that's done. Please keep reviewing! It shows me that you're still reading! You guys rock! This next chapter splits into two characters, but only for this chapter. The other person I'm writing from is Pierce's not mine. Now for your favorite part:

The next few days were hard riding and camping but Cami didn't mind, because it most definetly wasn't as bad a camping with the soldiers. She remarked on it often when Kel or Alanna complained.

"A few more hours and we'll be at my home: Mindelan," puffed Kel wearily. "Dom's there."

"Your husband?" asked Cami, curious.

"Did I say husband? I meant lover."

"I don't think I'll ever be dry again," said Alanna spontaneously, and she meant it.

"Well I don't mind because-" began Cami, but Alanna cut her off.

"We know, we know," grumbled Alanna. " 'It isn't as bad as riding with the soldiers. For one thing, they smell, the were mean, and we had no decent baths.' Curse those damn soldiers."

At Cami's shocked look, Kel grinned wryly and said, "Don't worry. She's just grumpy. When we get to Mindelan, she'll be better. I promise."

"I turn into my mascot in the right conditi-"

"We know," chorused Cami and Kel, and even Alanna had to grin at that.

…

Tobeis Boon paced back and forth anxiously. His lady-that is to say, his mistress lady-was due home tomorrow. He shot looks at the big doors at the front of the Mindelan castle where he lived with Kel (his mistress) and her family.

A hand laid gently on his shoulder and he whirled around. "Oh, it's just you Dom." Dom, or Domitan, was Kel's lover. At six foot two, he was only taller than Kel by a couple of inches. Dark brown hair flopped into his mischievous green eyes. He was strongly built, being a member of the King's Own, an army-like group of young single men that fought for the Crown. Tobe, as he was called by his friends, knew that Dom would have to drop out of the organization if he married Kel, but Dom was hoping that Lord Raoul, the commander, would make a small exception, seeing as Kel used to be his squire.

Tobe sighed in frustration; it wasn't fair that the mistress took off with Lady Alanna for two weeks, leaving him here. He was almost ten when Kel took him in and now he had just turned fourteen. In those four years, Kel had frequently mentioned how she couldn't have managed without him. And now, she left!

Dom heard his sigh, and he nodded in agreement. "I know how you feel," he said, staring longingly at the great double doors. "Sometimes I just wish that she would ride in here on that wicked horse of hers and stop us from worrying. I know I shouldn't, seeing as the wars over and all, but I can't help it. I miss her terribly."

Tobe briefly smiled at the man's words of comfort; he missed Kel too. Not because he loved her or anything like that, but she had taken him in, was kind, and cared for him when he thought that there was not enough happiness in the world to accommodate Tobeis Boon.

As for girls, well, he was friends with a lot. Irnai, the seer-child from Scanra, was nice, but truthfully, she scared him a little with her constant predictions, and she was too young anyway. He and Loesia had a thing going before, but now he really just thought of her as a friend, though he dare not tell that to Loey herself.

"Me too," whispered Tobe. "Me too."

…

Meanwhile, the lady in question, along with Alanna and Cami, was a while away, pushing their horses to the limit. Even though Alanna's husband, George, wasn't there, she knew how much Kel missed Dom, and truth be told, she did want a hot bath.

"We're almost there," panted Kel to Cami as they sped forward. "My boy-my servant boy, I mean-is there. Tobe. He's your age; maybe you'll be friends."

Cami wasn't listening. She was just concentrating on hanging on. Tis was her first time galloping on a horse, and frankly, she decided that she didn't want to repeat the experience.

After fifteen more minute of nerve-racking riding-at least it was nerve-racking for Cami-, the wrought iron gates with the Mindelan emblem on them came into view.

"Home!" cried Kel with an expression of ecstasy on her face. Alanna sniggered behind one hand a bit-it was too much. "Race you to the stables!"

The horses toke off, racing with all their might. Cami felt herself screaming the entire ride; if she did, they were going so fast that the wind snatched the sound away before it reached her ears. Alanna and Kel sure heard it.

"Why'd you scream so?" asked Alanna, dismounting (Kel had won). "My ears are smarting."

"When you," gasped Cami, "are on a horse for one of the first times of your life, and you are going at break-neck speed, you see how you like it!" Alanna winced as the hostlers led the horses away.

There was a screech of un-oiled door hinges and the great double doors opened. First Kel, then Cami and Alanna stumbled inside, Cami swaying a bit from her "near-death" experience.

"Kel!" yelled a male voice.

"Dom!" yelled Kel back and the two ran towards each other and hugged fiercely.

"I missed you," said Dom, kissing Kel's lips softly.

"I missed you too," Kel replied, then pulled away after remembering that they had an audience. "Um, this is Dom everyone," Kel said unnecessarily.

"Hi," chorused Alanna and Cami together, and Alanna stepped forward.

"You can probably tell who I am at a glance," said Alanna wryly. "But in case you couldn't tell, I'm Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau."

"Domitan of Masbolle," the man said, and shook Alanna's outstretched hand. "But please, call me Dom."

"Sorry to interrupt, but who's that?" asked a new voice, and a boy stepped forward. He looked about Cami's age, and he had deep blue eyes and dirty blond hair. He was a few inches taller than her, about five foot eight.

Kel smiled at him. "Tobe, this is Camillianna, or Cami. She comes from Scanra, and," she said at Tobe's alarmed look, "a friend. She came to us in an odd way, but I'll explain it later. Meanwhile, how about you set her up in the guest room next to yours, and then show her around a bit?"

"Sure," he said, and gave a small half smile at Cami.

"Good." Then Kel, Dom, and Alanna left, chattering all the way, leaving Tobe and Cami standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Well, I might as well introduce myself entirely," the boy said, searching for a way to break the silence. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and stuck out a hand. "Hi, my name is Tobeis Boon, or Tobe. Nice to meet you."

Cami shook his hand. "Hi, my name is Camillianna, or Cami, of…um, I don't know…Scanra. Nice to meet you too."

Their handshake lasted a little longer than a handshake should, but then Tobe broke away and said, "Um, I should, uh, show you to your rooms then," and Cami picked up her pack and they trotted off.

"So how'd you get here?" yelled Tobe over his shoulder as they ran along the huge twists and turns of the Mindelan mansion.

"It's a long story," she called back as they turned another corner.

"Well, here you are," They stopped at a door and Cami opened it.

"Thanks," Cami said, and she beamed at him.

"Er, um, you're welcome," Tobe blushed and looked away as they entered the room.

It was small and homely with large windows that let in the sun, and it had white painted walls. A small bureau with a mirror stood at one end of the room, and a bed with white linen sheets at the other. Cami sat down on the bed after leaving her pack on the bureau, and Tobe sat next to her.

"So how did you get here?" he asked again curiously. Now it was Cami's turn to look away, and not because of a blush.

"I'll tell you later, all right?" she said, and then her face brightened. "What about you? How did you come across Kel?"

Tobe smiled. "Well, I was about nine, almost ten, on a usual day at the inn where I was kept. The innkeeper, Alvik, was beating me, for I had gone to see the horses before doing my chores. M'lady there, Kel, rescued me by buying me on the spot."

"Wow," said Cami, not really meaning it. "Well, I need to unpack, and, no, I don't need help. But thank you." She smiled at Tobe as he got up to leave.

"If you need me, I'll just be in the other room," Tobe said as he closed the door. Cami knew that, and nodded her head as she left.

…

Tobe sank down on his own bed, and rolled over on his back, smiling. Cami was beautiful, he thought to himself. Those golden locks, those light blue eyes that seemed to look into his soul…

Snap out of it, self! He told himself sternly. That's exactly how you felt about Loesia…

Loesia. He groaned. What was he going to do about her? Even before he met Cami, he still knew that he wanted to be friends with her and friends only. But he pushed that problem to the back of his mind as he thought about Cami. There was only one thing about her, he realized. She won't say how she got here. He was dying to find out. As he thought about her, he sank into his own past…

"Filthy little bastard!" snarled the innkeeper, and he wrenched the boy up. "Lazy, no-good, and an orphan to boot!"

He threw the boy down as he unmercifully kicked and hit the boy until he was nothing but a quivering pile of skin and bones.

"That should teach you!" The innkeeper turned away and left after giving the boy one last kick.

When the boy was sure that his master was gone, he began to cry. He had been caught seeing the horses after washing the dishes. He had forgotten one dish-one dish!-so the chore was branded as incomplete and he was beaten within an inch of his life.

The boy pulled himself up using a wooden stall for support as he stood on his one good leg; the other was broken.

He sobbed as he stroked a chestnut mare softly. "Why can't he understand? Why…" 


	5. Loesia and Magecraft

_Ok, hello everybody! _

_**On top of cloud 9:** Well, would you like to spill your personal life and feelings to someone you just met-what, a half an hour ago? Well, thanks for reviewing, and update your own story soon too please!_

What happened to everybody? I mean, one minute you're all reviewing, and the next minute, poof! You're gone! R&R!

Cami was unpacking, laying all of her belongings neatly in a row on her bed, humming a little tune. Strangely enough, the sight of these items didn't want to make her cry; in fact, they almost made her little bit glad. After all, she was in a nice house, with nice people, and a room of her own.

Then suddenly she heard a scream and someone sobbing in the room next to her. Cami got up and went the adjoining door. What had happened to Tobe?

What she saw before her was a weird sight. Tobe was laying on his bed, crying softly, and whispering, "The child. It's me. It's me…"

Cami sat on his bed, concerned. Even though she had only met the boy a half an hour ago, she could tell that this wasn't something he did every day. "Tobe?" She touched his shoulder apprehensively. "Tobe? Are you ok?"

The boy turned around, and looked at Cami. His usually tan cheeks were pale, and streaked with tears. He dragged an arm across them, trying to wipe them away. "Ye-no, actually, I'm not."

"What's wrong?" asked Cami.

"It was just a memory." He answered.

"If it's all right with you, may I hear this memory?" She asked calmly.

Tobe nodded, and quietly told about what he had to 'live' through again. Cami couldn't believe it. Even though she was forced to leave her home, at least she had a good life. Tobe, it seemed, had had nothing.

Cami moved closer to him, and in a move of comfort, hugged him. She stroked his hair, saying, "It's okay, it's gonna be okay."

Then the door sprang open, and a female voice said, "Tobe, guess who dropped in to surpr-" Then the voice stopped, and darkened. "What's going here?"

Tobe and Cami sprang apart. Cami looked up to see a girl her age with smoky brown curls and dangerous hazel eyes. She had her hands on her hips and was staring daggers at Cami. Cami got up and said, "Hi, I'm Cami. Nice to meet you."

"Loesia," The girl said. "Now what are you doing with my boy?"

"Y-your boy?" stuttered Cami, and then something dawned on her. Tobe must be-what's her name? Oh, right-Loesia's boyfriend. "Oh, I came in back with Lady Kel and Lady Alanna early, and I have the rooms next to his. I was unpacking, and when I heard someone crying, I came in to comfort him. That's why I was hugging him."

The girl looked happier at that, and she said, "I'm sorry about being so angry. You were doing the right thing. It's just when-well, you know what I mean."

"Exactly," said Cami, having no clue what she meant, but she thought agreeing would be the best thing to do at the moment. She was backing away with every word she uttered. "I'll see you two later then." She closed the door behind her, and breathed a sigh of relief. Now _that_ was embarrassing.

"I never want to repeat that again," Cami muttered and looked at her things lying on her bed. She left the room before she could cry for her memories again.

…

Cami walked out of her room and looked up and down the hall. The before-empty corridor was now bustling with activity. She tapped a servant on the shoulder. "Um, excuse me miss, but where would I find Lady Kel?"

The maid looked her up and down, then said, " Ask a sparrow." That was the oddest answer Cami had ever received in her life. She pondered it for a moment, then shook her head and ran after the servant, who had left once she told Cami the strange reply.

"Wait miss!" she called.

The servant turned. "Looky here, missy, I don't have time for this! Find a sparrow, say, " Take me to Lady Kel?" and follow it. Easy as pie."

Cami stood for a while, confused. Every servant she asked said the same thing. After a while, she gave up on getting directions, and decided to give it a try. She went over to a sparrow, and said, "Um, could you take me to Lady Kel?" She felt extremely foolish as the sparrow cocked it's head, as if it was really listening.

Cami was dumbfounded as the bird chirped and flew off. She followed the sparrow all over the castle, through twists and turns, and soon she heard the familiar sound of Kel's voice. "Thank you," she told the sparrow. It chirped it's thanks and flew off.

When Kel saw Cami approaching, she broke off her conversation. "Hi Cmai. This is my friend Neal, Nealan of Queenscove, and his wife, Yukimi of the Yamani Islands."

Cami bowed to the two newcomers, a tall man, and a lovely lady. She straightened, and said, "Hello, I am Cami, or Camillianna, if you please. Nice to meet you."

"Same here," drawled Nealan in a bored tone of voice.

"Keladry here was just telling us the interesting story of how you came to her." said the Yamani woman softly.

Cami gave a startled glance at Kel, one that asked if she had told them the whole story. Kel shook her head slightly, and Cami relaxed. She didn't want the whole world knowing her life.

Then the man suddenly drew closer to her. "Do you have any Gift, or magic? The Sight?" he asked.

"Not that I know of, Sir Nealan," replied Cami. She wished that he would stop doing that; she was feeling uncomfortable.

"It's Neal," he told her, then added, "I'm a mage, so I can tell if you have any special _talents_." He finished examining her. "You're free to go."

She bowed again and left, but as she was leaving, something caught her ear. She ducked into a corner and listened intently. "-strange, I've never seen anything like it," said Neal's voice.

"Is she powerful?" asked Kel.

"Very, but she doesn't know of it yet. I would've been able to tell if she lied."

"What exactly did you sense?" asked the woman called Yukimi.

"I saw the four elements: air, earth, water, and fire."

Cami had heard enough. She walked back along the corridors, and said aloud, "I'm not a mage." If she was, wouldn't she have known? Wouldn't she have done something special, like throw fire when Maggur cut her? Her arm throbbed at the memory, and she found herself back in her room again.

She sat on her bed, thinking. What had the man said? _"Air, earth, water, and fire…"_ Maybe she could try something. Then she could prove that she was no mage, just plain Cami.

She chose air, since it seemed to be the least destructive. Cami reached her hand out of the window and 'grabbed' a piece of wind. When her hand was back inside the room and the window closed, she found a piece of wind sitting in her palm. She squeaked in fright, then relaxed. It was just air, after all.

She twitched her finger; the wind moved. She twitched it again; it moved again. She twirled around, moving her finger all the while. The single wind danced around the room happily. Cami laughed, delighted; if this was what it was like to be a mage, she wished that she had discovered her power long ago.

After a while of dancing with the wind, she stopped, thanked the wind kindly, and it twitched in a nod and left. Cami stared, not able to remember if she twitched her finger or it moved of it's own accord. She shrugged, the ran out of the room, eager to tell Kel and Neal that she was a mage. Then she stopped. This was no ordinary magecraft; she had a unique power.

Suddenly Cami didn't know who she was. She wasn't common born Cami anymore; she was someone special. But who? All her happiness drained out of her. Then she remembered her mother.

_Read this when you need to know who you really are._

She had thought nothing of it at the time, but now it was the most important gift of all. Cami decided to read the book tonight.

Dun, dun, dun…

R&R please!


	6. Fine Dining and Diaries

Well, thanx for the more reviews, but PhyscoLioness were are you? You used to review every time…oh well.

_**On top of cloud 9**: Thanks for updating your story! And no, sadly, she is not a goddess. That would be to much like Daine, don't you think? But in this chappy…this reveals something else…enjoy! Oh, and how do you get so many reviewers? It's scaring me…_

_**Zeetah:** Thanks for reviewing! It's good to hear from you! Try writing stories of your own, because what's the point of joining then? You don't have to join to review! Think about it._

_Well, here I go… _

Cami was startled out of her reverie by a great gonging bell. She assumed that it was the dinner bell, and since there were supposedly a lot of visiting nobles, she decided to dress up.

She quickly changed in to a silvery-blue silk dress she had found hanging up in the closet. She slipped her feet into some thin delicate slippers the same color as her dress, and a thin white shawl encircled her shoulders. Her blond hair was up, and a blue pendant the color of her eyes on a silver chain was around her neck.

Cami twirled, the skirts whispering, and she glimpsed a bit of her reflection in the mirror. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the glass. Is that really me? She wondered. Instead of a poor common-born Scanran girl, she saw a lovely noble in her place. The dress fit her perfectly, and her pale skin made her look even more beautiful.

She grinned to herself as she left the room, and she saw that a sparrow was flying by. It stopped when it saw her, and hovered at her eye level as she said, "Dinner?"

The sparrow wheeled around and flew off, Cami walking confidently behind it. When they turned a corner, Cami gasped.

The once-bare Great Hall had been transformed into a beautiful masterpiece. It looked like every painting Cami had ever seen of a banquet, except that this was wonderfully realistic. A glimmering crystal chandelier hung in the center, casting light all around with its many candles. A long wooden table with glinting platters made of the finest porcelain held every food imaginable. Nobles from all over Tortall were seated around it.

Kel appeared next to Cami and led her to a chair. "This is where you sit." Cami blushed at being caught gaping, and Kel added, "You look very nice tonight."

Cami beamed, then looked Kel up and down. She wore a green dress that accented her hazel eyes, and she also had slippers the color of her dress. Garnet drops glinted at each of her earlobes and she had a garnet necklace too. "So do you," Cami told her. Kel blushed, and hurried off to attend another person who had just arrived.

Cami sat down in the chair. She stared at the assortment of forks, knives, spoons, and glasses. Why were there so many, and how on earth am I going to figure out how to use them correctly? She wondered.

"I was confused at first too, you know," said a practical female voice. Cami jumped, then turned around. There was a female, about a year older than her sitting right next to her, smiling brightly. She had long black curls and twinkling brown eyes. The girl continued, "But then I got the hang of it. I'm Gydo, from Goatstrack, which is up north. Or at least it was, before the Scanrans attacked. Who are you?"

"Cami," She answered, liking the girl immediately. "I'm from Scanra." The girl frowned. "Oh no, I wasn't part of the army. In fact, I was against it. But I couldn't say that, or Maggur would have skinned me alive. I came across him once when I was five, and he gave me this." She turned her arm to show Gydo the scar.

"Wow, that's horrible!" exclaimed Gydo. "Now I guess we have a good reason to call Maggur 'Maggot' here. As for me, I was a refugee and was almost used for fuel for the killing machines!"

"What happened? Were you scared? Did he hurt you?"

Gydo held up her hands in defense. "So many questions," she laughed. "One at a time, please."

The girls chatted happily, swapping stories of joy and adventure, until a booming voice announced, "The first course is served."

Servant began circling the room with wine and appetizers. A gloved hand came into Cami's view, and a heavily accented voice said, "Wine or water, milady?"

"Water, thank you," replied Cami, as Gydo selected the same thing beside her. She tore her eyes away from the water filling one of the many glasses, and finally looked to see who was sitting across from her: Tobe.

…

When Tobe had sat down and looked across the table to see who was sitting there, he nearly fell off her chair, and his mouth dropped open in awe. It was Cami, but not the shirt-and-breeches Cami he saw before, but a different Cami. This was a silk-dress-hair-done-up-necklace Cami.

"Cami," Tobe breathed. "She's beautiful."

"What did you say?" Loesia, who was sitting next to him, elbowed him. Then she turned her head in the direction that Tobe was looking. Her face turned sour. "Oh look, there's that nasty Camillianna again. Leave her alone tobe, or else she'll steal you away from me." Loesia said Cami's name in such disgust that that Tobe looked at her in shock.

Then he regained himself and said, "Look, Loey, I've been meaning to talk to you about that-"

"The first course is served!" said a loud voice, interrupting Tobe. He ground his teeth.

"What's that?" asked Loesia mildly, having just taken a gulp ofher wine. Tobe's water lay untouched.

"Nothing, nothing," He'd have to wait until after dinner.

…

All through dinner, Cami carefully avoided Tobe's gaze, though she could tell that he was doing all he could to catch her eye. Instead, she talked to Gydo, who kept twitching and looking the other way. Finally Cami asked, "What's wrong? You keep on looking away, and fiddling with your napkin."

"It's Tobe," replied Gydo finally. "He keeps on waving to you, and things like that. Why are you ignoring him? Don't you know him?"

Cami groaned. "Yes, I do," she told her newfound friend. "It's a long story."

"It's a long night," retorted Gydo, and Cami looked around and sighed. It was only the second course.

"Ok," she replied grudgingly, and quickly explained what had happened.

"Oh," said Gydo. "That also explains why Loey-Loesia-there is giving you such nasty looks." She pointed to the girl who was sitting next to Tobe. She caught Cami looking, and shot her a look that could have peeled paint. "You know," added Gydo thoughtfully, "Tobe told me that he just wants to be friends with Loey, and that was before he met you. I think he really likes you."

Cami shook her head. "Look, this is going to fast for me. Right now, I'd like him as a friend, and a friend only. Then maybe after a while, I'll consider it. Okay?"

Gydo shrugged. "Sounds good to me," she said, and selected a salad from a nearby dish.

…

Finally, the banquet was over, and Tobe pulled Loesia aside. "Loey, you and I need to talk."

"'Kay," she giggled, and followed him into the garden. They stopped at a bench where they sat. "What did you want to talk about? This?" She smiled at him seductively and tried to kiss him, but Tobe pushed her away.

"Stop, Loesia!" He shouted, and surprised, she did. He hadn't called her by her full name in ages. "You had too much wine. Listen, you're a great friend and all, but I don't want to be together. _Together_ together."

"What?" her eyes blazed angrily. "I think it's _you_ who's had too much wine." She shouted, conveniently forgetting that he had had water. "We'll talk about this later, Tobeis Boon!" She got up, whirled around, and left, walking off tipsily, leaving Tobe alone on the bench.

He sighed. Now that that was over, all he had to do was apologize to Cami. He smiled. This was going to be a snap.

…

Cami sat down on her bed, already in her night-shirt. She held the battered book in her hand, apprehensive. Did she really want to do this? Yes, she told herself. With all her heart. She opened the flap to the first page.

_This diary belongs to:_

Princess Lydianya 

Heiress to the throne of Scanra

Cami gasped. That was the last known princess of Scanra, and she had disappeared a long time ago. She turned the page and read the first entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was fine; I didn't do much, though my godfather, Maggur, came here today. He used to be such a jolly man, but now he is different. More cruel, mysterious, and the like. I'm not so sure about his story. He says he came here to help protect me, for my father is sick and dying and my mother is dead, but I don't believe him. There's some ulterior motive; there always is with him._

_Dear Diary,_

_I found out what my godfather's plan is. By law, if the princess doesn't produce a suitable heiress (it must be a girl) before she dies, her godfather becomes king. I overheard him telling his friend that he's going to dispose of me like he did with my lover. Supposedly, next week, I am going to die. But I have an heiress. I gave birth to her secretly, about a month ago. There was only a midwife in attendance, my best friend Marion. I don't care if she's a commoner. It's so hard keeping the baby a secret, though. Every day I live in fear that Maggur will find her._

_Dear Diary,_

_I've taken to sending winds to eavesdrop on Maggur these days. Oh, I must have forgotten to explain. The queen is the main ruler in Scanra, and the oldest girl, or only girl child inherits the throne, and marries outside of it. The oldest girl, or only girl (in this case, me), is an Elemental. An Elemental is a mage who controls the elements: earth, water, fire, and air. Now back to Maggur. It turns out that he wants to start a war against Tortall. This war will take years to put into action, but he has to execute me first._

The next few entries was about Maggur's plans and sadly, her father dying. Then, Cami came to the last entry which had a necklace in it:

_Dear Diary,_

_Today, I fear, is my day to die. I am handing my baby over to my friend Marion and her husband Jeffrey. I have named her Camillianna. If she ever has to leave her family, or when she turns fourteen, I want her to have this book. The pack is also special. It appears to have only one big pocket, when it has many other little ones that are spelled for invisibility and phasing, so only my Cami can open them. I am also enclosing my necklace. It is the sign of the royal Scanran throne and the true Elemental, and I wish her to wear it and get back our throne from the tyrant Maggur! Cami, if you are reading this, know that I love you, and I'm sure that Marion and Jeffrey do too._

(End of Diary)

…

_Cliffhangerrrrr! R&R, and I will bake cookies and smoothies for you! _


	7. The Prophecy

Thanx for the great reviews! And PhyscoLioness, have you gone on vacation or something…? Oh well.

_**On top of cloud 9:** You hate them? Well, I love them! Well, actually, only if I'm the one writing them. Lol. And thanx for the tip! Keep reviewing!_

_**Lady of Queenscove:** Thank you my newly new reviewer. Yes, actually, I did mean Cami there. Oops. Plz update your own story soon; its awesome!_

_**Rattail:** Lol, I think she's weird too, but I needed to make her that way…but wutevah. Thanx for reviewing!_

_Thanx you guyzzzz…_

Cami slowly shut the diary with a snap, letting the news sink in. She was a powerful mage, an Elemental. She was also the true ruler of Scanra, and her true mother wanted her to kill Maggur and get the entire country under her rule.

Why couldn't I have just been regular common-born Cami? Why? She wondered. Her head ached, and she was tired. If only I was…she thought.

Suddenly the door slammed open and a voice said, "Cami! I-"

She didn't hear the rest. She shrieked and jumped about fifty feet in the air, and landed on her bed with a thump. "God forsake you howdisci dkhflkd-" she started to babble incoherently. Shut up and calm down! She told herself sternly, and ended her speech with, "Didn't anybody ever teach you how to knock? If you did, the result would have been the same, but at least the door would be closed." She glared up sullenly into Tobe's startled face.

Tobe stared at Cami, and began to laugh long and hard. He laughed far after tears came to his eyes, and Cami handed him a handkerchief to blot them away.

"It's not funny," said Cami, miffed. "I was startled, that's all. It's not every day someone barges into your room while you're thinking and yells into your ear."

"Sorry," Tobe wiped his eyes again. "But the look on your face…" The memory was obviously too much for him, and he started to laugh again, and laughed until he started to hiccup. "Ok, now I'm done."

"You startled me, I jumped and babbled, end of story." She gazed angrily into his eyes. "Now what did you want?"

Tobe hung his head, the picture of a distressed male. "I came to apologize. I'm sorry for the way I acted today. Is there any way I could make it up to you?"

Cami eyed him critically. He seems sincere enough, she thought. "Apology accepted, I guess. As for the making it up to me…"

She looked at Tobe's suddenly fearful face. "I've heard that you're good with horses. Would you…um, would you teach me how to ride one?" Cami gazed hopefully at him; she didn't want to repeat the experience of arriving here.

"Sure," exclaimed Tobe, looking relieved. "How about tomorrow at about eight o'clock in the morning? I'll meet you at the stables. A sparrow will show you the way."

"So soon?" asked Cami.

"Why not? Any day is good for me." Tobe said, happy that she wasn't going to ask for something horrible.

Cami shrugged. "Tomorrow's fine with me."

"Okay. See you then!" Tobe left her room.

Cami blew out her candle and snuggled under the covers. Then she remembered the diary. Between getting ready for bed and talking to Tobe, she almost forgot about it.

She relit the candle and opened the diary to the very last page. A delicate silver chain lay there, and attached to it, a beautiful pendant. It was a well-sized oval, and had symbols in each quarter of it. A fire symbol in a blazing orange stone that Cami couldn't name, a water symbol in aquamarine, an earth symbol in jade, and an air symbol in diamond.

Cami reverently lifted it out of the book and clasped it around her neck. She fell asleep smiling.

…

Cami sat up and stretched. She looked out the window and groaned. Dawn, she thought. Why do I have to wake early up every morning?

She pushed back the sheets and stood up. She did a couple of exercises to loosen up her muscles, and stuck her head out of the window again, and looked down. She saw Kel with a queer weapon in her hand do some combat dances on the ground in front of the stables. Cami shrugged and decided to join her, for her lesson with Tobe wasn't for another few hours.

She closed her door behind her quietly, trying not to make a sound. Padding down the hall in her shirt and breeches, she almost walked straight into a bleary-eyed noble.

Cami squeaked, then pressed her body flat against the wall. The nobleman looked up and down the hall, trying to find the source of the noise. After a few more moments of silence, the man walked off and disappeared around a corner. Once the sound of his receding footsteps was gone, Cami started off again, this time quietly jogging.

She reached the doors to the outside and eased them open. She was quite pleased with herself for finding her way without a sparrow guide.

Cami tapped Kel on the shoulder. The woman whirled around, nearly decapitating Cami with the weapon. Luckily, Cami ducked just in time. "Cami," Kel gasped. "Don't you ever do that again. I almost killed you." Her clothes were streaked with sweat and her forehead beaded with it as they sat down.

"What was that, anyway?" asked Cami, intrigued.

"It's a glaive," At Cami's confused look, Kel added, "It's a weapon favored by the Yamanis."

"Oh," Cami said. "Um, I was wondering if you'd teach me how to use some weapons. I already am pretty good with daggers, and I'm a pretty good archer, but I'd like to learn swordsmanship."

"Is that so?" Kel said. "I'd be happy to teach you. Here, let's have our first lesson now."

"Really? That's great!" Cami said eagerly, and jumped to her feet. Kel laughed.

When they were both standing up, Kel looked at Cami, her face serious. "Are you sure that you want to do this? It takes a lot of talent and skill-"

"Yes," said Cami almost forcefully. "I can do this."

Ke shrugged, as if to say 'Suit yourself,' and said, "Ok, here's the basic stance…"

Kel taught Cami some stances and a couple of drills. She was watching Cami try and master them, when she said, "You know, I have my own reasons to talk to you."

"Oh?" replied Cami, who wasn't really paying attention, for she was wrestling with a particularly hard drill.

"Here, let me help you with that," Kel came over to Cami and guided her through the steps. "Now, thrust and parry! Nicely done! Very nicely done!" Kel stepped back, applauding, to watch Cami try it on her own. "I want you to know something. You know when Neal was inspecting you? Well-"

Cami shook her head, knowing already what the knight was going to say. "I know: I'm a mage." At Kel's astonished look, Cami grinned sheepishly. "I overheard. How about I give you a demonstration?"

Kel stepped back. "No, no, I'm fine," she insisted hurriedly. "Really I am."

Cami grinned. "I insist," She twirled a bit of wind in her fingers. It had a silvery glow to it so Kel could see it. Then Cami grabbed more and more of it until it looked like she had a miniature tornado twining around her fingers. "Hmm…I think I'll try something new this time…a wind device…" Then she shaped the wind into something that resembled a board, but it's ends were curved and pointed slightly upward._ (A/N: It looked like a skateboard with no wheels)_ Kel stared at it in awe as Cami hardened the air. She could tell it was so because when Cami picked it up, many tiny dust particles moved with it. "It's an airboard!" Cami beamed proudly.

"M-may I touch it?" whispered Kel, reaching towards it.

"Sure," Cami shrugged. What's the big deal? She wondered. Surely she's seen magic before, after living with folk like Daine the Wildmage, and Numair Salamin. The entire eastern side of the world had heard those legends. Cami watched as the awe-stricken Kel ran her hands over the floating thing. Then she handed it back to Cami wordlessly, who immediately got on it. "Go!" Cami frowned. Why wouldn't it move? She had made this thing to take her places. "GO!" she shouted, then smacked it. Angry, she sent a blast of air towards the ground, which rebounded and hit the bottom of the airboard. It and it's rider went soaring upwards as Kel stared in shock.

"That's it!" Cami yelled down to a now-tiny Kel. "You control the board by wind!" The board dropped, and Cami screamed as they plummeted downwards. Then she sent another blast, this one longer and slower to slow her fall. Once she reached the ground, Cami swung off the board. "Kel, you want to try?"

"I'm not a mage," Kel said, holding back.

Cami moved forward towards the reluctant knight. "You don't have to do anything. I'll control the board. All you have to do is balance yourself. I'm sure you can do that, being a great knight and all."

Cami supposed that it was that last comment that won Kel over, for the knight stepped forward and motioned for Cami to give her the board. Cami grinned and handed it over.

As Kel clambered on, she looked warily at Cami and asked, "Will it hold my weight?"

Cami nodded. "Definitely," Once the woman got on, Cami gave her a blast of air, and she shot up.

"Uh, Cami, next time, please make it go forward instead of up?" When the board reached the ground, Kel looked a little green.

Cami ducked her head sheepishly and said, "Right," The board shot forward, heading straight towards the stables.

"Ahhh, Cami, how do you control this thing?" Kel yelled, and leaned forward, bending her knees, prepared to jump.

Miraculously, the board turned. "Whoa, Cami, how did you do that?" Kel asked, getting off.

"I didn't," Cami's mouth was as dry as paper as she stared at her creation.

"Then what happened?"

"No idea."

Kel eyed the board critically. "Well, if leaning forward makes you turn left, that must mean that leaning backward makes you turn right."

"Exactly!" Cami smiled. "Want another go?"

"No, thanks, I'm finished for the day." Kel stumbled away, muttering about searching for the nearest sink. _(A/N: There's my version of how the skateboard was invented! Well, sort of. Lol.) _

After a while, Cami was zooming around on the airboard lke she was made to do it. Then she heard the doors' lock being undone, and hopped off, and headed towards the stables. She hid the board in a stack of hay, and leaned against the doorframe, trying to appear casual.

It was only Tobe, coming to teach Cami how to ride a horse. Then it occurred to her that she had something that would take her anywhere a horse would, and farther. But sometimes she would need to be subtle, she realized, and a horse would do just that. Besides, _she_ had asked Tobe, not the other way around, and it would be rude to tell him that she changed her mind. Cami shrugged, and walked up to him. "Hi Tobe."

"Hi Cami," he said. "Ready to ride?"

"I guess," she followed him into the stables.

Tobe walked over to a fidgety mare. "Here, you can ride Moondust. She's an extra."

Cami patted the horse. She was a beautiful thing, midnight black with dustings of white on her head. The name fit her perfectly. The mare snorted and Cami backed away.

"Don't worry; she won't bite. Blow into her nostrils. That's how horses get aquainted."

After a strange look Tobe's way, Cami complied. The horse returned the favor, and Cami giggled.

"Mount up. She likes you." Tobe told her, and held the reins as Cami swung into the saddle.

"How do you know all these things? Like, how the horse likes you, how to treat it, and so on," asked Cami from up top the horse.

Tobe shrugged. "The horse talks to me, and I talk to her. Nothing that special."

"You mean horse magic?" Cami said, and Tobe shrugged again, looking uncomfortable. Cami didn't pursue the subject any further.

Cami rode out of the stables with Tobe leading. He taught her how to use the reins, sit in the saddle correctly, and how to position her feet in the stirrups. The he taught her how to kick the horse into a trot, then a gallop. Cami was a fast learner and Tobe was a good teacher. He talked soothingly, and didn't get angry or yell. Then he let go of the reins, and told Cami to try it on her own. Cami proudly guided the horse around a couple of obstacles, then in a figure eight.

"Great job!" Tobe took the reins while Cami dismounted. "That's it for today, then. We'll continue tomorrow."

"Thanks." Cami said as they locked Moondust's stall.

"It's nothing really," Tobe blushed as they left the stables, and they continued to talk as they walked to the castle.

Cami stopped short. A little girl about nine or ten with black hair and startlingly blue eyes was standing right in front of her, clutching a raggedy doll. Cami bent down. "Why hello there, little girl. What's your name?" The girl didn't answer and Cami could see her eyes clouding. It was most unnerving.

Tobe added, "Cami, this is Irnai. She's also from Scanra, or as far as we know, she is. She's a seer-child. Irnai, this is Cami. She's from Scanra too. Irnai?"

The girl opened her mouth, but instead of a little tiny little girl voice, as soft, whispery voice began to emerge from her mouth.

_"Yes, she is the One. The future Elemental-ruler. She will win th hearts of all Scanrans, but one. That one must be eliminated, or her, Maggur, will send the world into chaos. She must be ready, for when the time comes to go, she must go, no matter the consequences of her actions. Armed with weapons, magic, and knowledge, she must defeat Maggur. Get the country, and the world back…"_

The girl was silent once more, and her eyes unclouded. She smiled as she said, "Hi Tobe. Hi Cami."

Cami ran back into the stables, grabbed her airboard, and fled back into the safeties of the Mindelan castle.


	8. The King's Request

_I'm happy you guyz liked the last chapter!_

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** Thanx! I think her powers are cool too. I've been obsessed about the Element powers for while, so I thought 'why not?' anyway, thanx for the tip on Dom's eyes. Oops. And yes, he does. Awww…lol. _

_**Zeetah:** Thanx a lot! I like the chapters too. Well, I wrote it, so of course I would like it! And ok, good, I like reading stories, and I bet yours will be great!_

_**On top of cloud 9:** Actually, I hate them too, unless I'm writing them. Then they're fun. I really liked that chapter too. It's probably my favorite. And, no, she's not going to tell them yet, but she's going to get a big surprise in this chapter…_

Cami ran down the hallways past nobles and servants (the entire household was up by now, because it was nine). Why did this have to happen today? It was going so well, with the lessons and things…I could handle the diary because I could keep it secret, but a prophecy? And in front of others? I just want to be normal! Is that too much to ask? She screamed to herself.

She reached the small bench in the garden, the very one that Tobe and Loesia sat on. Cami sat, chest heaving. She couldn't take it anymore. She jumped on her airboard, and flew up. She landed on the roof, and huddled up in her cloak. I just want to be normal… She thought, and a couple of tears trickled down her cheeks.

After a while, Cami sighed. Crying wouldn't do anybody good, though it made her feel better. Besides, she had a home now-at least, a bit of one-and she was safe. Cami smiled weakly and wiped her eyes.

Good thing too, for a dirty blond head stuck out of a window on the roof, and bright blue eyes looked straight at her. Tobe's expression softened, and he climbed out of the window and sat next to Cami on the sloping roof. The wind ruffled his hair and he sighed contentedly. Then he turned to her and asked quietly, "Are you ever going to tell me your past?"

"I suppose now is as good as anytime," said Cami glumly, and proceeded to explain about Maggur's cut, leaving, the soldiers, the river, the inn, everything, ending with the magic she had done that very morning. "This is my airboard." She pulled out the device.

"Wow," Tobe was shocked.

Cami grinned. "Want to try it?"

"How does it work?" Tobe asked, eager to try this strange new way of transportation.

"Well, you stand on it and balance yourself. Then to turn left, lean forward, and to turn right, lean backwards. I control the air or wind that makes it move." Then Cami remembered that they were on the roof. "We should probably try it on the ground, because if you fall off…" The y were both silent for a moment as they contemplated the worst things that could happen.

Tobe shivered and nodded. "I'd rather not risk my neck. Let's go!"

When they arrived in front of the stables, they got started immediately. Laughing and joking, they played around until the midday bell rang. Cami's stomach growled, and then she remembered that she had had no breakfast.

"I'm _starving_." Cami told Tobe, who promptly fell off the airboard, because Cami stopped the wind by not concentrating. She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that," she said as she pulled him up.

Tobe winced. "I'm fine." They ran inside.

During midday, Cami sat between Gydo and Tobe, both who made the meal more interesting by telling stories and jokes. As Cami was buttering a roll, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find an impatient Kel standing behind her.

"Cam, come here," After that quick announcement, Kel walked away quickly. Curious, Cami followed her.

When they were in a secluded spot, Kel began to talk. "Cami, remember that night at the inn where you told us that the king needed to know about the up-coming war and the new weapon?" Cami nodded. "Well, Alanna's a mage, and she spoke to the king that very night using a far-speaking spell. He decided to ride immediately to Mindelan, and since then, we've been talking to him as he rode, telling him things about you, like how you're a mage. Well, he's here now and wants to talk to you."

"T-talk to me?" stuttered Cami, astounded. She couldn't talk to King Jonathan. He was a mage, a king, _and _a knight, and rumors in Scanra said that he beheld he Dominion Jewel. "The likes of him don't talk to the likes of me-"

"Since when have you cared who talked to you?" demanded Kel with her hands on her hips. "Besides, he isn't like that. He's here to see you, and that's what he's going to do." Then she turned and yelled, "Your Majesty!"

Cami frantically searched her brain for some excuse, but each one was more feeble than the last. Then a kind male voice said, "Hello, Camillianna. I'm King Jonathan."

Cami looked up to see a tall man with wavy black hair and deep blue eyes. He held an air of power around him, and he wore a kind smile that showed all of his perfectly white teeth. Cami's breath caught in her throat; he's so handsome, she thought giddily. Then she dismissed that thought and scolded herself silly for even daring to let it creep into her mind. Was she some lovesick chit that swooned over any man? Besides, he was married, and was way too old for her. She firmly set any thought like the first one aside, and stared the king straight in the eye.

"Your Majesty asked to see me?" Cami said, the picture of an innocent girl.

The king bent down to her level. "You are an extraordinary girl. A mage dealing with the elements. Smart, for already designing your own spells. Leaving your country to warn ours; very brave."

"Your Majesty flatters me," Cami murmured, her eyes looking at the floor.

"Come now, I can tell this isn't your nature," The king said frankly. "Now this is my point. Since you are a very powerful mage, I request that you come back to the palace with me. There is a teacher by the name of Numair Salamin that has agreed to teach you. You may take some classes with the pages, for seeing that he has a family, he cannot teach you all the time. The classes that you may take are all of them, though I daresay that you need to know about Tortallan history, unless you are planning to live here. You will get rooms of your own, along that anything you might require. A servant comes in with hot baths every morning and evening, and takes away your dirty clothes. However, a personal maid must be paid from your own pocket. We leave in a week."

Cami stared in shock at the king. Live in the palace? Her? Numair Salamin was the greatest, most powerful mage in Tortall, and _he_ wanted to teach _her_? Her head spun. Servants, classes, -wait, the classes! She could get horseback riding lessons and sword fighting lessons from professionals, and not to mention staff fighting, unarmed combat, and all of those.

She looked at Kel, amazed, and then her face fell. She had what she wanted here at Mindelan. She would miss all her friends, and even the sparrow-guides, even though she had barely been here over a day.

Kel caught Cami's look, and said quietly, "Don't worry. You can visit."

"In fact, you can do more than visit." That was the king. "Keladry of Mindelan, I hereby order you, Sergeant Domitan, and all of Cami's friends to come to court for three weeks. What do you say, Camillianna?"

Cami looked at him. In his eyes, she saw that this was no question; this was an order. A nicely put one, but an order, all the same. Maggur's cut taught her that you should never cross swords with kings.

"I'd be delighted to go, Sire," Cami said reluctantly. Then she remembered Moondust. "Um, Sire, Lady Kel, may I take the horse Moondust?"

Kel smiled. "Of course. As an extra, she isn't really needed, is she?"

Cami whooped, then remembered who she was with. "Thank you Sire. I am most grateful to you for providing this amazing opportunity."

The king smiled. "Run along now. I'm sure you'd like to finish your breakfast."

Cami curtsied and ran back to the table. But when she got there, she looked at Tobe, Gydo, and everyone sitting at the table laughing. With a pang, she realized that she would miss all of them. Well, maybe not Loesia, but still. Cami sat in her chair, her expression somber as she stared at her half-empty plate.

"Cami, why aren't you eating? A moment ago, you were starving." Tobe said after swallowing a bite of lettuce.

"I'm just not hungry anymore," Cami said.

…

The next few days were fun, with sword fighting and horseback riding, but the prospect of leaving was always in the back of Cami's mind, looming over her like a dark cloud on a sunny day.

The day before she was leaving, Cami knew she had to tell her friends. She gathered up Tobe, Gydo, Irnai, and another girl named Violeta in her room.

They all sat on the bed, staring at Cami. They had never seen their friends so sad, or so serious.

"Ok, this is hard to say," Cami began. "But you need to know."

"Need to know what?" asked Violeta. She was known for being blunt. Tobe elbowed her and motioned for Cami to continue.

"I'm going to live at the palace." Cami said.

"The palace?" shrieked Gydo.

"Yes. I got an offer from none other than the king himself. You see, I'm a mage. A different type of mage, and supposedly very powerful. I'm going to be taught by Numair Salamin." Cami told them.

"_Numair?_ But he's the most powerful mage in the country!" a shocked Violeta said.

"But what about us?" asked Gydo. "You're leaving us?"

"All of you, Kel, and Dom are coming to the palace for the first three weeks." Cami said.

"Really?" said Irnai. "Even I didn't See that."

Cami then realized that while the girls chattered (though Irnai never really chattered), Tobe had been unnaturally silent.

"Tobe?" Cami said gently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tobe said. "I just need to take care of a couple of things." He got up and left the room.

…

Tobe was in the stables, grooming Moondust. He lifted the brush for another strokes, then sagged against the stable wall.

The mare lipped his clothing. _Friend, what's wrong?_

"Well, Moondust, it's hard to explain…" Tobe said, uncomfortable with telling his personal thoughts to a horse.

_Don't be uncomfortable Tobe. Please try to explain._

"You know Cami? The girl who's been riding you? Well, she's leaving tomorrow for the palace. She's going to live there. With you." Tobe said sadly.

_Tobeis, do not think for one second that that last comment fooled me into thinking that you will miss me more than that girl._ The horse told him sternly.

"But I will miss you," Tobe told the horse, and hugged her around her neck.

Moondust's expression softened. _There's a good boy._

…

That night Cami took her meager belongings and put them back in her bag. Kel had insisted that she keep some clothes that she supplied, including the dress Cami wore the first night.

As she packed the diary, Cami touched the pendant that still hung around her neck. She still hadn't shown the diary to Kel, but maybe she would soon. She sighed. She was as noble as the king, but she couldn't help but think like a commoner.

Cami also wondered how Tobe was. He had been terribly elusive ever since she had announced that she was going to live at the palace. She had to leave. Poor Tobe, she thought. He must be really upset.

The next morning dawned bright and early. Cami rolled out of bed with a groan, then froze. Today was the day she was leaving Mindelan. Kel had told Cami last night that they were going to leave at nine, but it was five now, so Cami got dressed and went downstairs.

She nicked a glass of milk and a couple of rolls from the kitchens, and headed outdoors to eat. Once she had finished he snack, she stood up and brushed the crumbs off her lap. She took Moondust out of the stables and rode her around. She was proud of herself; she was able to trot now.

After an hour, she dismounted and groomed Moondust, then headed towards a little box by the side of the stall. In there lay her daggers, some of her most prized possessions. She hadn't needed them here, but she suspected that she might need them on the road. Cami secured them to her shirt sleeves and pants, and grabbed her sword (a gift from Kel). She practiced for a while, then went back upstairs, stowed her sword in her bag, and slung it over her shoulder.

During breakfast, Kel stood up. "People of Mindelan," she began. "I'm afraid I must leave for a while."

People groaned and Kel grinned. "I'm glad I'm so well liked," she joked, and added, "My mother and father will be supervising you in my absence. Once the meal is over, those leaving will report in front of the stables with their things. Thank you."

All too soon, the meal had ended, and Cami met Kel, Irnai, Dom, Tobe, Gydo, Violeta, the king, and the king's soldier-escorts outside the stables. After making sure every one was secure and happy, the king yelled, "Move out!"

…

_Ok, this was sort of a filler chapter, but we do need it. The next couple of chapters will be about her at the palace. R&R PLZ!_


	9. The Palace

_Thanx you guys for reviewing! I really like it when you do!_

_**Zeetah:** Thank you! And yes, she's living at the palace now. She's got a new friend there when she goes there. Nothing special about this chapter, but the palace chapters are going to be kind of tame._

_**On top of cloud 9:** Yes, our little friend Tobe does love her, and in this chapter, he gets close to telling her it! But not yet. The road part is short, but she will show the diary in private to Kel and the king. Thanx for reviewing._

_**Random89:** You have a point. Maybe Kel should have hinted it before…oh well. I always love new reviewers! They make life interesting! Oh, and you don't have a profile, but you should. It's always fun to find out about people. I don't even know if you're a boy or a girl! _

_Now for the actual story…_

The ride was long and hard, with flies every day, and mosquitoes every night. Luckily Cami could make shells of hard air for herself that the bugs couldn't penetrate, but the others were bitten unmercifully. Try as she might, Cami couldn't make them for the others, because she didn't have enough training.

Every day, the king sent her up on her airboard to check for bandits and the like. Happily, the group encountered none, but they all kept their weapons close. Cami still wondered if the bandits she came here with were still in the country, but she doubted it. The captain of the group had told them constantly to hit and run back to the boat. But then Cami remembered that she had taken away their only boat, so she kept her daggers close.

The day before they were scheduled to reach the palace, Cami rode up by Tobe. He was still avoiding her, though she couldn't imagine why.

"Tobe, come here," Cami said, finally tired of his elusive behavior. "We need to talk."

Tobe sullenly pulled his gelding, Sunfire, over to the side, and avoided Cami's gaze.

"Tobe, what's wrong? Why are you avoiding me?" Cami asked.

Tobe mumbled something, and then closed his mouth.

Cami crossed her arms over her chest, unwisely dropping the reins. "Speak up. What did you say?"

"I'm going to miss you," Tobe replied quietly, picking at some dirt on his saddle.

"So you're spending the last three weeks you have with me _avoiding _me?" Cami snorted. "That's just about the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"I just don't want to create any more memories. Memories that will hurt when you're gone." Tobe said. Cami, for once in her life, had nothing to say. "The truth is, Cami…I've never met anyone like you. You're smart, funny, serious, and have an amazing personality."

"I'm flattered, but the compliments will stick in my head and I won't recognize your point when you say it," Cami told him dryly.

"I just don't want to lose the best friend I've ever had." He said.

Cami smiled. "That is the nicest thing anybody's ever said to me. Ever." She told Tobe, then leaned over and hugged him fiercely. He hugged her back.

Then they separated, and raced each other back to the group.

…

That night, Cami lay on her cot, tossing and turning. She couldn't stop thinking. Gydo, who was sharing her tent, was sleeping like a rock, but Cami's thoughts were whirling around her head.

When he told her that he didn't want to lose her, he seemed to hesitate before he said it. Was he about to say something else? Or was he just making it up? She fond herself wishing that he had said something else, saying that he lov-

No, no, he couldn't have meant to say _that_. Besides, why did she wish he did? This would be a bad time to find out she loved him when he was leaving in three weeks.

All night, the questions bounced around her head, pestering her even in her sleep.

The next morning, she woke up exhausted. She was groggy from the lack of sleep she had gotten last night, and her head hurt terribly. She stumbled out of the tent flap, and Gydo came out behind her, smiling. Unlike Cami, she had gotten a great night's sleep.

"Do you mind?" Cami demanded.

"Mind what?" asked Gydo, who was stretching at the moment.

"Looking so incredibly _perky_." Cami growled.

Gydo laughed.

"I'm happy you think it's funny," she told her. "See how funny it is when I tell you it's your turn to take down the tent."

Gydo shrugged, and began her task.

Once everything was packed up, they all ate a meager breakfast of cold porridge and milk. Cami ate half her bowl, then decided that she wasn't really hungry. She stirred her spoon in the half-empty bowl idly, staring up at the sky. Violeta, who was still hungry, snapped, "Cami, are you going to eat that, or are you going to give it to me."

"It's all yours," Cami handed the bowl over, and Violeta descended on it, greedily spooning porridge in her mouth like she hadn't eaten in months.

Cami stood up. "I think I'm going to go wash my face in that stream back there," she announced, and walked off.

When Cami arrived at the stream, she stared at it. It was cloudy and disgusting. _Air, earth, **water,** and fire…_Cami hadn't tried out her water skills yet. Maybe the power would let her cleanse the water. Cami held out her hands, palms face down. A blue light washed out of her hands and soaked into the river, making it clear and better to use. Cami stared at it, shrugged, and splashed some water on her face.

When she arrived back at camp, everyone was mounting up. Cami hurriedly attached her packs to Moondust, then followed suit. They quickly left the campsite, and rode fast, hoping to reach the palace before midday.

Around ten o'clock, they rounded a hill, and Cami gasped. She looked down at the immense stretch of glittering lights, shops, and homes. She saw people dancing in the streets, hoping to earn a coin, and merchants bargaining with commoners.

A soldier riding next to her heard her gasp and grinned. "Welcome to Corus, kid,"

…

When they arrived through the big palace gates, hostlers immediately came to relieve them of their mounts. Cami reached for her pack, only to be told that it would be brought up to her rooms at once.

They were shown into that castle with a bow, and Cami's mouth dropped open. She had never seen so much splendor. The entrance hall was by far more fancy than Kel's. It was a white room with gold decorations embroidering the walls and the ceiling. A gold and crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Nobles chatting amiably bowed to the king as they past, and looked interestingly at the others.

The king clapped his hands, and two boys appeared at his side. "Joshua and Alexander will show you to your rooms. Kel and Tobe, you know where to go, correct?" When they nodded, the king said, "Hopefully I will see all of you later. Camillianna, please come to my office tonight. Kel will show you the way." He turned around and left.

The boy called Joshua touched Cami's arm and said, "Miss? If you'll follow me."

Cami trailed after the boy as he walked through the many corridors and passageways. He opened a door in a quiet part of the palace that looked like a private wing. The room looked quite like the one at Kel's, except it was quite a bit larger and had two dressers instead of one.

"Here you are, miss. Your teacher, Master Numair, is down the hall, and…" The boy proceeded to give directions to different places in the palace, then bowed himself out.

Cami closed the door after him, and noticed her pack was already on the bed. She unpacked everything and set the necessary items in drawers and on the tops of the bureaus. Once she was finished, Cami didn't know exactly what to do. Since the boy had said that Master Numair lived just down the hall, she decided to meet her future teacher.

She walked down the hall and reached another door. This one had two plaques on it. One read 'Numair Salamin, mage' and the other 'Veralidaine Salamin, wild mage'. Cami nervously knocked on the door and a woman opened it immediately. She had smoky brown curls, gray-blue eyes, and a kind smile.

"Hello there," the woman said. "Who are you?" Cami supposed that this must be Daine, Numair's wife.

"I'm Cami. Is Master Numair here? I'm his new student and I was hoping to meet him." Cami said nervously.

"Oh, yes. He mentioned you. Unfortunately, he isn't here right now, but come in anyway. My name is Daine." Cami shook her hand firmly, and stepped inside.

"Nice to meet you," Cami said. At once a little girl came up to her. She looked exactly like Daine, except she had black hair instead of brown. She looked to be about five.

"Mommy, who's that?" The little girl asked.

"Honey, this is Cami, Daddy's new student," Daine told her. "Cami, this is Sarralyn, or Sarra. I also have a one-year-old named Rikash."

Cami bent down to the girl's eye level. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," Sarra said solemnly. "Can you make me fly? Daddy said you could." She stared at Cami with big eyes that Cami couldn't resist. Cami turned to look at Daine for permission, and Daine nodded her head slightly.

"Sure," Cami told the little girl. To herself, she thought, maybe a small ride on a cloud.

Cami reached her hand out the window and pulled in a small fluffy cloud, and put Sarra on it. Then she wiggled her fingers and the cloud flew around. The little girl laughed and clapped happily, and Cami gently put the cloud down, as Sarra got off. The cloud flew slowly out the window.

"Thank you!" Sarra said happily. "That was fun! You're my bestest friend ever!" She threw herself at Cami and hugged her. Surprised, Cami resisted for a moment, then hugged her back, as Daine observed the whole thing, smiling.

"Cami, do you want a cup of tea or anything?" Daine asked.

"I can't, sorry," Cami said unhappily. "I would love to stay longer, but the king said I could attended classes with the pages when Master Numair's not teaching me, and the etiquette class starts in fifteen minutes. I wouldn't go unless I was in desperate need of it, and frankly, I am."

"Oh, ok," Daine said, "Feel free to drop in any time."

"Yes, yes, yes!" cried Sarra happily. "Come back _soon_!"

"Ok Sarra. If you say so," teased Cami. The little girl beamed.

"Bye!" Daine and Sarra chorused.

"Bye!" Cami said, and shut the door. She stood outside the door, racking her brain for where Joshua said the etiquette class was. Bathroom, no…Great Hall, no…Curse it, where is that classroom? She thought angrily.

Then she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and a kind voice asked, "Are you lost?"

Cami turned to see a tall lanky man with black hair and dancing brown eyes.

"Are you Master Numair?" Cami asked.

"Indeed I am," the man replied.

"I'm Camillianna, or Cami, your new student." Cami said, looking him over.

"Why hello then! Would you like to come inside?" asked her future teacher.

"I can't. I have permission to go to classes with the pages, and etiquette class begins in ten minutes." Cami told him.

Numair nodded gravely. "Would you like me to show you the way?"

"Most definitely. I have no clue how anyone could find anything in this huge place!" Cami said with feeling.

He laughed. "Off we go then!"

A few minutes later, they stopped at a door. Cami opened it. "Thanks again."

"No problem," Numair told her. "Our first lesson is tomorrow at night."

"Ok," Cami said, and went inside the room to find the class staring expectantly at her, waiting for the conversation to finish. A blush crept up her cheeks.

"Are you here to talk, or are you here to learn, miss?" inquired a crisp voice. Cami looked up and saw a tall man that had slightly balding brown hair.

"Sorry," she muttered, and headed to the back of the classroom among whistles and catcalls.

Cami sat down next to a girl that had dirty blond hair. She was tan and had a light dusting of freckles that could barely be seen. Dancing hazel eyes were under her thin eyebrows, and she was average height, and pretty thin. "Hi," the girl whispered. "I'm Amoret."

"Cami," Cami whispered back and the two shook hands.

"First year as a page?" Amoret asked.

"No, I'm a mage, but I'm going to train in weapons and things with you in my spare time." Cami said, getting tired of explaining it so many times.

"Oh. If you were, I could've sponsored you." Amoret said, then explained what sponsoring was. "It's when an older page than you gets to show you around the castle. Only second-, third-, and fourth year pages can do that. I'm a third year, one of Kel's cousins."

"I've been staying with her for a couple of weeks," Cami said.

"I know," Amoret grinned at Cami. "Word travels fast in Tortall. Master Numair teaches the Gifted class sometimes, and the last time he was there, he was raving about how unique your powers are, how strong you are, how you make up your own spells-"

By this time, Cami had began to blush, so she was almost glad when the teacher interrupted. "Ladies in the back, would you be so kin to grace us with your names?"

"Master Oakbrige, I am Amoret of Olna's Point, cousin of Keladry of Mindelan." Amoret stood, curtsied, and sat back down.

"Master Oakbridge, I am Camillianna," Cami did the same as Amoret had.

"Your fief?" Oakbridge sighed.

Cami blushed. "I am Numair Salamin's new mage-student, and since he has a family, he cannot teach me at all hours of the day, so I am here to learn during my spare time. I have stayed with Keladry of Mindelan until the king summoned me here. My birth home is Scanra, though the past few weeks in Tortall have been more of a home than Scanra ever was."

"Thank you very much for that delightful speech. Let us all clap." Master Oakbridge suggested. A half-hearted clapping began, though one person clapped very hard. Cami looked down to see a boy about fifteen with brown hair and green eyes clapping enthusiastically. She stared at him and he winked. Cami's attention was drawn away from the boy by Master Oakbridge's voice. "Now, since you have made us happy with names and pretty speeches, will you also tell us the contents of your conversation?" He looked at the silent girls, his eyebrows raised. "No? Then let us get on with the lesson then, and not be distracted by petty conversations! Now, who can tell me how to address an earl opposed to a duke?"


	10. Fighting with Fire

I wasn't expecting many reviews for this one, but I would like more. Well, here's the message to my single reviewer…

_**On top of cloud 9:** Yeah, she did get yelled at, but oh well. That's what teachers do. Well, some of them at least. Anyway, this chappy's gonna be wayyyyy more exciting…_

_Now for the story…_

"That Master Oakbridge is _harsh_," said Cami, trying to massage her head.

"I agree," said Amoret. "What's up with him this year anyway? He seems really…I don't know…strict this year."

"Ugh," Cami said. She didn't really care about last year. They walked on. "Where to?"

"Ummm…" Amoret pulled a roll of parchment out of her bag and consulted it's contents. "Unarmed combat with the Shang Horse and Wildcat."

"And I will be accompanying you," said a new voice. Cami jumped, but Amoret just said easily, "Hi Jalain."

"I told you, it's Jal." The youth who had clapped so hard for Cami's 'speech' stood before them, smiling. He was about two inches taller than Cami, and was muscular.

"You two haven't met," said Amoret delicately. "Cami, this is Jalain-" With a glare from the boy, Amoret hastily added, "I mean, _Jal_ of Stone Mountain. Jal, this is Cami. She's from Scanra."

Jal grinned. "I know that. I heard her speck, didn't I?" Cami looked at him. There was a glint in his eyes that said that there was something not quite right about him. Then he blinked, and it was gone. "Curse it, Oakbridge forgot to give me my essay in the beginning of class! He always does that! Well, see you two later." Jal turned around and jogged back to the classroom. Amoret stared after him with a look of distaste.

"You have to be careful with that one," She murmured in Cami's ear. "His older brother, Joren, was a bad character. He paid thugs in Kel's fourth year to capture her maid, knowing that Kel would go after her and miss the exams, therefore making her repeat all four years. He died in the Chamber of the Ordeal."

Cami shivered. It was almost like shouting that the family was cursed. They headed off to combat class, deep in thought.

"I am the Shang Horse, Hakuin Seastone, your teacher in unarmed combat," A golden-skinned Yamani paced in front of the row of pages and one mage-student. He had lively black eyes and short black hair with one or two white threads in it. He wore an un-dyed jacket, for all that it was a hot day, and breeches. "My colleague, Eda Bell, the Shang Wildcat, shall also be your teacher." He pointed to a woman sitting on the fence, eying them carefully with quick eyes that could catch any flicker of movement. Though she had completely gray hair, Cami could tell that she wasn't going to be as nice as any grandmother.

"This isn't a ladies' tea party, pages," The Wildcat jumped off the fence and walked straight over to a plainly terrified first-year. "You are here to work hard, and I expect none less than your _very_ best." She looked the page in front of her up and down, sniffed, and walked over by Hakuin. "Let's work."

They all exited that class with multiple bruises. Cami was starting to regret that she agreed to take page classes after all. The day was long and hard, and everyone was glad when it was over. Cami was too tired to even stop by Moondust's stall, though after horseback riding, she gave the mare an apple as an extra treat.

Cami flung open the door to her room to find a woman putting a hot bath down, along with soap, towels, and a set of clean clothes. Cami could have kissed the lady, but politely restrained from doing so. After locking the door behind the servant, she sank into the bath with a moan. She scrubbed herself until she was pink, and got out. After getting dressed, she went out in search of Gydo, Tobe, Irnai, and Violeta. It wasn't very hard; they were wandering around the halls looking for her.

"Cami! Where were you?" asked Violeta furiously. She was known for her explosive temper.

"I was taking some classes with the pages. The king said I could…" She looked at the four sheepishly. "I didn't tell you?"

"You most certainly did not!" replied Gydo.

"Well, what's done is done," said Irnai practically. "Let's go eat."

"Ok," said Tobe.

"How about we go eat with the pages? I want you to meet somebody." Cami said. The others shrugged, and they all set off at a trot.

When they entered the mess hall, they got nasty glares for holding up the meal. Cami looked around for Amoret, and saw her waving furiously. The five sat down quickly.

A tall red-haired man with a mass of freckles covering his face stood. "Sir Merric of Hollyrose," Amoret whispered to Cami. "He's the new training master." Cami nodded.

"Bright Mithros," Merric began. "Mother Goddess, all gods of the Divine Realms, grant us peace and harmony, health and happiness, and the power to live our lives to the fullest."

"So mote it be," everyone said, and each table got up to get a tray full of food. The room was soon filled with banging and chatter.

When all of Cami's friends, including Amoret, were situated, Cami introduced everyone. They all seemed to get along well, and then two more boys plunked their trays down next to Amoret. One had red hair and serious brown eyes, and the other was average height (the other was tall), had light brown hair, and blue-green eyes.

"Hi," Amoret said to them.

"Hi," they replied.

"This is Bysiac of Longsbow," Amoret indicated the redhead, "and this is Chevron of Kingsgrace." That was the brown haired boy.

"It's Chev," mumbled the second boy through a mouthful of food. "And that's By. Get it right next time, Am."

"I just wanted for them to know your real names," bristled Amoret.

Cami raised her eyebrows. "Am?"

The girl blushed. "It's just a stupid nickname."

"It's not stupid," interjected By. "Would you like us to call you…Ammie?"

"No!" Amoret shouted. "Am is fine!" She regained her cool and added, "You guys, this is Cami, Tobe, Gydo, Irnai, and Violeta. The others will leave in three weeks, Cami will be staying."

"Is she a first year?" asked Chev, looking at Cami. "Why are the others leaving?"

"No, I'm not a first year," said Cami. "As for the others, it's a long story. We'll tell you later." The boy shrugged and continued eating.

Cami looked around the room, and her eyes found Jal. He looked up at her, and winked again. Cami turned away. She wasn't sure if she liked Jal or not.

Soon the meal was over, and everyone got up to leave. Then Cami remembered her appointment with the king. "Hey Amoret!" She yelled after the girl.

"What?" she turned.

"D'you know where the king's office is?" Cami asked.

"Sure. Why?" Amoret walked over, curious.

"He said he needed to talk to me, that's all." Cami said.

"I'll show you the way. Meet me back here in fifteen minutes." Amoret told her.

"Great!" Cami exclaimed, and headed back to her rooms. This would be a perfect time to show the king the diary! I wonder if Kel's going to be there…She wandered around the corridors, and found herself conveniently back in her rooms. She checked her clothes for spots, and satisfied, grabbed the diary and trotted off.

About halfway there, Cami heard a scream. It was coming from the hallway on her left. Forgetting the king, she ran off. Another scream, Cami took a right. She gasped.

The once-abandoned hallway wasn't abandoned anymore. Amoret was shoved up against the wall; a brown haired boy held her there. He was sort of tall, and had brown eyes. He grinned evilly as Amoret struggled against him. The girl was no match for his muscles.

"Not going to without a fight, huh? Let's see what's under curtain number one…" He grabbed the hem of Amoret's shirt, trying to force it over her flailing arms until her breastband showed.

"How dare you!" screamed Cami, flying forward. "How dare you lay hands on another without their permission!"

The heads turned. "Oh, look, another victim…" The boy snapped his fingers and two other boys jumped out of the darkness at her.

Cami dropped her cloak and her diary and got ready to fight as Amoret struggled against the leader. Cami faced the boys. One threw a punch at her; she seized his arm and twisted it. He screamed, and she felt her arm being grabbed and she was flying across the room, and smashed into a wall.

Cami turned and ran at them. She tripped on as she went flying past, but she succeeded in being sprawled on the floor. "You're not going to win this fight. Why don't you run back to the pig pen you were born in?" One taunted.

She lunged at his foot and swept it out from under him. She jumped on top of him and punched his face repeatedly. "Who's laughing now, boy?" She swung her fist back, and was wrenched off the boy. Her arms were held behind her, as the boy got up and punched her. She lashed out a foot and he keeled over, gasping. Cami had gotten him where it hurt the most.

She did the same to her captor, but missed, knocking her foot against his knee. All the same, he yelled anyway, and let go of her. Meanwhile, the other boy had gotten over his pain and jumped at her. She stepped quickly out of the way, and he went falling on the floor.

Suddenly the floor rose up to meet her as she felt a push from behind. "You'll never beet both of us, girl," said one voice. "You could try." By that time, the other had gotten up too. Cami rolled over to see their evil face grinning down at her. Her head spun wildly, and an image fixed itself in her mind. It was the diary. The diary! She was a mage; she didn't need to brawl like a low-class commoner! She desperately grabbed the first element she thought of: fire.

She slowly got up and faced the boys again. Her face sported two black eyes, a cut lip, and multiple bruises, but she thrust the injuries aside and called up fire.

In her hand, two balls of flames flickered and danced. This wasn't pretty mage fire with all its different colors; this was the roaring substance that burned up towns and entire forests, the very essence of fire. In the light that it gave, she could see that Amoret's shirt was off, and the boy was tearing at her breastband. Cami roared.

She fed everything she had into the fire, the pain of her injuries, the anger at the horrible people that would do such a bad thing, her sadness of leaving her family, the happiness of having a true home in Mindelan. The flames sprang up in her hands, a tower of twirling writhing heat that longed to destroy the two boys standing in front of her. She let it loose.

The flames licked at their clothes, the smoke fogging up their eyes (Cami was careful not to let any drift over to Amoret). They gagged. Cmai threw fire at them, letting it burn them just enough to leave a mark, then dousing it. The boys ran for their lives, afraid of this strange new mage, instead of the quivering girl on the floor. Cami quenched the fire, smiling. She had not wanted to kill the boys, only teach them a small lesson. This was one they wouldn't forget. She ran over to the boy who was still tearing at Amoret's chest, oblivious to the fight behind him.

"Now for you," Cami growled. She hardened some air, picked it up, and smacked it against the boy's head as hard as she could. He turned long enough to feel a breeze, then fell to the ground, unconscious.

Amoret stared at Cami in awe. "Thank you," She whispered, then threw herself at Cami, sobbing. "I was walking down to meet you, and then he pushed me up against the wall, and…" She babbled on for a few minutes, and then stared up at Cami with wet eyes. "You do believe me, don't you?"

Cami picked up their cloaks and threw Amoret's hers. While Amoret put it on, Cami used the time to check if the diary was still there. It was. She pulled the cloak around herself to hide her tattered clothes.

"Let's go," Cami said shortly. "I wouldn't want to be down here when people come down here to check out the source of all this racket."

They fled.

…

They stopped far from the hallway where the fight had taken place. Amoret collapsed against the wall, chest heaving, while Cami stood panting.

"Amoret, did you recognize any of those boys?" Cami asked, determined to find the culprits.

"No," she said. "but even if I did, we couldn't report them."

"What?" yelled Cami, outraged. "Why?"

"It's the knight's code. You can't report on any of your fights, or something like that. I know you're not training to be a knight, but I am, and I'm asking you as a friend to uphold my honor and not report it. Please?" Amoret looked at Cami, eyes wide and pleading.

"And if they ask what happened?" Cami said defiantly. "What's the excuse?"

"I fell down," Amoret replied.

"I fell down? That is possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

"It's tradition."

"Before we talk about anything that will make me angrier-though I doubt that's possible-let's go to the king's office."

"It's right there," Amoret pointed at a door not too far away with a finger that suddenly shook.

"You don't have to stay," Cami said kindly. "I can find my own way back."

"I need to go anyway. I, um," Amoret groped for some excuse. "I fell dow-I mean, I need to write letters to home." She scrambled off as Cami tentatively knocked on the door, suddenly nervous.

It opened.

…

I hope ya'll enjoyed that chapter (in my cousin's words. She lives in Georgia.). I particularly like the fight with the fire and everything. Hope you guys enjoyed it too! Review, and get fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies!

_Mel _


	11. Startling Occurences

Thanx for the reviews! I always love them… 

_**On top of cloud 9:** Thanx my ever-faithful reviewer! I'm glad you liked it, and yes, Merric is the new training master. Oh, and please fix the cookie transporter soon! Lol :D_

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** Wow, you submitted reviews for every chapter. Or almost every, at least. In order from a to…well, I don't feel like thinking so from a to whenever will be the answers to each review._

_Yes, she is royal, and I'm going through a phase where I'm obsessed with element powers…don't tease me, please…_

_Yep, I do too._

_Ok, there isn't much to say to this one, but glad you liked it!_

_Yeah, I was reading a book that had the name Amoret in it briefly and I just had to add a character with that name in. She's going to be a main character-ish. _

_I really liked the fight too. It was on the spur of the moment, but I made the fight super-short in my notebook that I write the chapters in, so I elaborated. And there is a small surprise about the king and the enemy fighters (not that these two things are related. The king knows nothing of the fight and won't for a while, even though evidence in this chapter seems to point out that he paid for the fight to happen, but he didn't.). Actually, it should be two surprises, but oh well. The fighters thing is a bit more important, and there's also some other big thing using Irnai, but that's at the end of the chapter. Next chapter, you'll see what she's up to. _

_Thanks you two! Now for the actual story:_

Cami stepped into a huge room. For one second, all she could see was red, then her eyes cleared, adjusting to the blazing light. The walls were a deep rich red, and they had paintings with guilt frames. Cami squinted up at the source of the light: mage lights. She had forgotten that the king was a mage. As she looked up, her cloak hood slipped, revealing a bit of her face. She snatched at it, and pulled it down far enough to cover her chin.

"You're late." Cami recognized the king's light, crisp voice. She looked at him through the fabric and he was sitting in a huge antique leather chair. The cherry maple wood desk in front of him held many candles, paper, ink, and quills. It was quite unorganized, though he had obviously found a space to tap his fingers, for Cami could hear the low drumming sound coming from across the room.

"Sire, I was detained. Will Your Majesty forgive such an unworthy one as me?" Cami murmured.

Ignoring her little speech, he said, "Camillianna, sit."

Cami looked up. She saw two straight-backed chairs, the cushions the same color red as the walls, and one was occupied by none other than Kel. She wore a tan tunic and brown breeches. She had the soft, flexible slippers that Cami's Shang teachers wore, and she had no expression on her face. From the time that Cami knew Kel, she had heard many tales about the Yamanis, people that believed that showing emotion was bad manners. Kel had lived there for a time, and took up the custom, earning her the nickname 'Yamani Lump' or just 'Lump'. Cami could practically hear Kel thinking, "I am a lake on a calm summers' day with no breeze. I am a stone…" and so on.

Cami shuffled forward, making sure her face was covered, and sat down on one of the chairs. She kept her face pointed downwards, though she snuck a peak at Kel. The knight wore a slight frown that creased her forehead, but she became expressionless once more when the king spoke.

"Cami, why do you face downwards? Please, sit up straight, and show us your pretty face." This time his voice held a trace of annoyance, though he tried not to show it.

Cami sat up straighter, but kept her face looking down. Then she felt two calloused fingers lift her chin up. She found herself looking into Kel's steady and calm hazel eyes. Kel let out a long low whistle. "Cami, Cami, Cami, what have you done?"

The girl stared defiantly into the woman's eyes. They beheld no anger. "I fell down," Cami said. She had decided to uphold Amoret's honor, though she still thought that 'I fell down' was the lamest excuse ever.

"Mithros, they're still telling _that_?" The king leaned back in his chair. "I told that, Alanna told that, Kel told that, and now you. Why you? You're not even a page! Camillianna, what really happened?"

"I fell down on the ground, Sire. Nothing else happened." Cami said sullenly.

"Apparently this _ground_" he said 'ground' like it wasn't really ground at all "blackened both your eyes, bruised your face, and cut your lip?" The king grinned.

"I fell down some stairs."

"And broke your nose and sprained your wrist?"

"Well, they were very steep stairs."

The king stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "We're obviously not going to get the truth out of you, and I'm certainly not _forcing_ it out of you, so we shall just have to continue with the meeting, though for the life of me, I can't figure out _why_ you're doing this." He stared at her sternly for a moment, but when she said nothing, he continued. "I called you here because since you're doing the pages' classes, you might want to become a page."

"No, but thank you Your Majesty."

"You're probably worried that you don't have a fief, right? Well-"

"No, Sire, I'm not worried about the fief."

"Then why don't you want to be a page?"

"You see, while I like the classes, I have something that could quite hinder me in becoming one, besides the fact that I would have to leave with my teacher if he traveled."

"What hindrance would that be?"

"Read this, Your Majesty." Cami pulled the old book out of her cloak pocket and handed it to the king.

"What does this-" he began to say, but saw the owner's name and became very interested in the diary. When he finished it, he handed it back to her. "There could be a million Camis in this world. How can it possibly be you?"

"Because I have the magic," Cami summoned her airboard and handed it to the king, who immediately began exclaiming it's various aspects. "And because I have this." She pulled a folded piece of parchment out of her pocket. "My friend, Irnai, is a seer-child, and the very first time she saw me, she said this."

The king opened it and quickly scanned the contents. He sighed. "I guess I must believe you. This is very interesting. Very, very interesting. And you were right. This would complicate things a little."

Kel had struggled to keep quiet for the last few minutes, but this was too much. "What is going on? Why am I here if all you're going to do is exchange things that I can't see and talk in riddles?"

Cami stared at Kel. She had always been so level-headed and uncaring, so why was she acting this way? "Kel, I didn't know you had wanted to know. Here, take it." Cami handed the diary to Kel, who immediately began to read.

The king frowned at Kel, then said, "What happened to the necklace that was in the diary? The one that she said had the symbol of royalty in Scanra? Did it fall out or something?"

"It's right here, Sire." Cami lifted the pendant up, and it sparkled in the light.

"May I try to put it on?" The king asked.

Cami reluctantly handed the king her necklace and he slipped it around his neck. Or tried to, for the moment it touched his neck, he let out a howl of surprise, and dropped it on his desk. Cami could see a slight scorch on his neck. "That," he gasped, "has _powerful_ magic in it. If anyone besides the heir to the Scanran throne tries to put it on, they have a nasty surprise coming."

"I'm so sorry! I had no idea-" Cami began to say, but the king held up a hand.

"I know you didn't," he said. "Just take the necklace."

Cami put the necklace back on, and looked at Kel. Kel closed the diary with a snap and said, "Mithros knows that if you had come before the war had began, we wouldn't have lost as many people in the fight."

"Is that all you have to say?" asked Cami, shocked. Did Kel even care?

"Oh right," said Kel with a sickening grin, "Your Majesty is amazing."

"No!" Cami cried. "I didn't mean _that_! I just wanted to know it you cared! You obviously don't!"

Kel dropped her smirk and replaced it with a look of concern. "I do care," she said. "I just think I'm a bit jealous. Sorry."

Jealous? Kel? "Kel, I want you to know that I'd rather have your life any day. You have a place in the world, friends, family, a home. I have nothing. Yeah, maybe I'm the soon-to-be ruler of Scanra, but I'd rather have a simple, nice life, instead of this life full of complications." Cami told her.

"Thanks Cami," she said quietly. Then she added, "Do I have to call you 'your majesty'?"

Cami stared at her. "Yes."

"Really?"  
"No! Of course not! You have your own king, and he's probably a better ruler than I'll ever be!" Cami said, smiling.

"This is all very touching," interrupted the king. "But I'm afraid Miss Cami had to leave."

"Yes Sire," Cami said. "But please-not a word of this to anyone. As far as they're concerned, I'm a mage-student of Master Numair's, or a commoner from Scanra. I don't even want the word 'miss' said to me."

"Yes, yes, of course," said the king impatiently.

"Oh thank you!" said Cami happily, and ran out of the room.

…

"I do think that went rather well," said the king, folding his hands and looking at Kel. "Now, there are a couple of matters we must talk about."

"What matters, Sire?" Kel asked.

"First, we must invite our training master in. I believe that you may know him." The king said, and the door opened. A tall red-head with freckles stepped in, and he looked at Kel, beaming.

"Merric!" Kel cried. "_You're_ the new training master?"

The man bowed. "Yes, I am. I try not to be as hard as the Stump-" he took a quick look at the king, and corrected his use of his old training master's nickname "-I mean, Lord Wyldon was, but I work these kids hard."

"But why?" spluttered Kel. "I never thought _you_ of all people would be a training master."

"I saw how much good all the knights did during the Scanran War," Merric shrugged. "I decided that helping people become knights that help our country would be a worthy occupation."

"Oh," said Kel, feeling a bit stupid. "Ok."

"So, Your Majesty," said Merric, directing this comment at the king. "Why have you called us here?"

"Well, I have just received some news from a certain young student of yours-" began the king, but Kel cut him off.

"What are you doing? She _specifically_ asked for no one to know! And after two measly minutes, you go and start telling people? That is just…just…just_ horrible_!" said Kel furiously.

"Keladry of Mindelan!" said the king sharply. "I have a reason for everything! I will tell no more than is needed for my plan."

"_Plan_? What is this_ plan_ of yours? The only_ plan_ I see is to tell a girl's important secret to people that are complete strangers to her!" Kel burst out.

"Ok. I am going to tell you, and you are going to listen to me. Do I make myself clear?" The king hissed, and Kel was silent. When he had complete attention on himself, he continued. "Merric, it is m duty to inform you that a student named Camillianna is indeed the heir to the throne of Scanra." He held up his hands as Merric began to speak. "I cannot say how I know this, but it is true."

"Why do _I_ need to know this, sir? I'm just the training master." Merric said.

"My plan is, that since she is the heir and she is right here, under our noses, we can just tweak her training a little bit." The king said.

"Tweak it?" asked Kel suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?"

"Here's my theory," said the king. "Suppose she becomes the queen of Scanra, and for some reason, she doesn't like us anymore. We don't want her to have enough power to overthrow our country, do we? So, all we have to do is change her training just enough so she's good at it, good enough to pass, but not as good as she should be. So if she ever decides to challenge us, she will not have enough power to beat us." He leaned back in his chair, and smiled.

Kel stared at him. This was not the king she knew, the kind, just ruler of Tortall. No, this was a madman. A lunatic. Taking an innocent fourteen-year-old and making so she wouldn't be able to beat their country if she wanted to? Nobody in their right minds would do such a thing. Besides, it wasn't fair. Every ruler got training to the best of their abilities to help their country, and King Jonathan was making sure that this one didn't. What if she did become the ruler of Scanra? Suppose that the king's plan made it that when she _did_ become queen, the country fell to pieces. That would be horrible.

"Sire, I can't agree to this," It was not Kel that spoke up, but Merric. "It isn't right, what you're planning."

"Merric," the king said persuasively. "I'm doing this to protect our country. All I'm asking is for your help. Will you help me?"

Merric wavered, and looked at Kel. She kept her face expressionless, not knowing herself what to do. As a knight, if she broke her word to the Crown, she would suffer grave punishments, and so would Merric. Then something popped into her mind. A plan. She nodded her head slightly in Merric's direction.

"I will help you Sire," he said, choosing his words carefully.

"Then listen closely," the king said, and the three talked late into the night.

…

Then next morning Cami awoke at dawn, and not on her own accord. A huge booming bell rang out to wake every page in the vicinity. Unfortunately, her quarters were close to the pages' wing (she was sort of a page, after all), and for once she would have liked to sleep in.  
Cami groaned. She felt like she had been battered by a ram and thrown off a cliff. She got up and stretched. She winced, feeling the pain in her back. Looking in the center of the room, she realized a maid had come and put a bath there. Thanking the Goddess, she scrubbed herself and got dressed. Then she decided to go find her friends.

She trotted off to the other hallway, and found all three of them waiting for her. All three? Wait, there was supposed to be four…Cami looked at them. One, Tobe, two, Gydo, three, Violeta, four… "Where's Irnai?" Cami demanded sharply.

Gydo shrugged. "We thought that she just wanted some extra sleep when she didn't come out of her room, so we decided not to bother her."

Cami frowned. Something wasn't right. "I'm going to bother her," and she stormed into Irnai's room. The bed was neatly made, and her stuff was gone. It looked like nobody had ever lived there.

Cami stepped out of the room. "She's gone." She said that with such completeness that it made it sound like it was completely true. But it was. Irnai was gone, and nobody knew where she went.

"Gone?" shrieked Violeta. "What? She can't be!" She ran into Irnai's room, and came out crying.

"Well, we can't go looking for her; breakfast's about to start," said Gydo uncomfortably.

"Breakfast? Who cares about breakfast at a time like this?" sobbed Violeta.

"Gydo's right," Cami said. "We can't keep the others waiting."

"I can ask the horses in the stable if she went there to get a horse and ride away," offered Tobe.

"Excellent," Cami said. "Meanwhile, let's run. The pages will kill us if we're late again!"

When breakfast was over, Sir Merric had all the pages gather in a group. Then Cami remembered the fight from the night before, and looked around for boys covered in scratches. She didn't have to look hard; three boys with scorch marks and small cuts all over their bodies stood together in a cluster, talking quietly. When one looked up, he stopped talking and made his way over to Cami and Amoret. As he got closer, Cami recognized him as the one that was Amoret's captor.

"Filthy little-" growled Cami when stood in front of her, and made to punch him. Amoret grabbed her arm and stopped her from assassinating the boy.

The boy held up his hands in surrender. "Before you two kill me, hear me out."

"All right, what's your story?" hissed Cami, Amoret still restraining her.

"During the lunch break yesterday, I got a letter from a mysterious person. I don't know who he was, or anything about him, just that in the line to get my tray, I found an envelope addressed to me. I opened it, and it said to do something horrible to you two. I was threatened with assault and blackmail, and being the wuss that I am, I was afraid. My two friends back there, Fanog and Phiran, got similar letters. We seemed to have no choice. I don't know who the guy is, but I can tell, he's got people everywhere, watching and listening..." The boy's face was pale with fright and beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. "D-do you b-believe me?"

"Show us the letters," Cami said. The boy wordlessly handed three envelopes with names written on them, all in the same handwriting: Fanog, Phiran, and Lyron. Cami and Amoret read these letters silently, and handed them back to the boy, who they assumed was Lyron.

"How do we know you didn't write them yourself?" Cami said.

Lyron took a quill and some ink from his bag and wrote his name on the corner of an envelope. He had completely different handwriting.

"Okay," admitted Cami. "Maybe you were blackmailed. But you shouldn't have done it. If you had told us, we could have staged a fight."

"He would have heard us," the boy said. "He has spies everywhere."

…

_Ok, that's the end of this pretty long chapter. So the king's plotting, Irnai's missing, and the fight was blackmailed. Interesting…_

_Smoothies for people who R&R!_

_Mel_


	12. The Dream

_Heyy you guyz Mel's back._

_**On top of cloud 9:** You never cease to review this story. It makes me soooo happy! I really don't know why I made Jon be kind of weird. He's gonna turn out as a good guy in the end...I think...but he's going to get punished. The only reason that I REALLY don't want to kick him off the throne and put Prince Roald there is because Thayet is super cool (she's gonna come up in the later chappies) and Roald simply isn't ready for it._

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** Now, Irnai has nothing to do with their plan, unfortunately. This is of her own accord. And next chapter you find out what the secret weapon is (o0o0o0o) and Kel and Merric do not agree with Jon's 'plan'. They decide to do something quite drastic soon. And I'm having a slight memory lapse; what does OOC mean again? Sorry. I have amnesia or something. Lol. Now the mystery blackmailer, I already have planned out who that is, and well, he'll be doing some bad stuff._

_**Random89:** thanx. I love plot twists! They make everything soooo much more interesting! I'm happy you reviewed; keep up your amazing work on your own story!_

_**HyperKathryn:** I love new reviewers! They rock! And so do you! And no problem, I will._

_Thanks again for the great reviews! I love you guyz!_

Lyron turned away from the two shocked girls and started walking back to his friends, who were looking expectantly at him. Cami stared after him, shocked. What monster could instill such fear in a person? Then she turned to Amoret.

"He was telling the truth," said Amoret quietly. "Every word."

"How do you know that?" Cami asked suspiciously.

"I have the Sight," Amoret shrugged. "Seeing lies on people is just one of it's many aspects."

"Well, that's helpful," Though it was the stupidest thing she could have said, Cami couldn't think of anything else to say. Suddenly Merric's voice boomed out over the crowd and brought Cami back to the noisy mess hall.

"Pages," he yelled. "I have wanted to have a class with you all for a while, to get to know you and teach you tricks that you won't learn in your studies. Now, I have made this class." Everyone clapped and a wave of chatter broke out in the students. "Quiet!" Merric grinned. "Tomorrow, this class will take place in during etiquette class." Everyone clapped again, and some people added some wolf whistles. "This class will take place once a week, and it will be in this very hall. You are dismissed."

"What's our first class?" Cami asked Amoret.

"Mathematics," she replied.

"Oh, and I forgot," Merric added over the rushing crowd. Cami stopped and turned. "Would Camillianna please come with me? I would greatly appreciate it. That would be all."

Cami's face turned pale. What does he want with me? She wondered. Did I do something wrong? Did Lyron tell about the fight?

"Merric's a good man," Amoret said confidently. "He isn't very harsh, and he will hear you out if you have an explanation." She pushed Cami forward. "Go on."

Nevertheless, Cami was still worried as she faced the tall man. "You wanted me, sir?" she said nervously, and wiped her sweaty palms on her tunic.

"Yes," The training master looked grave. "It is a matter of great importance, and it concerns you. Please follow me."

Cami silently trailed after him past many talking nobles and through many hallways. They stopped at a big white door, and Merric fished a key out of his pockets. He unlocked the door and opened it to reveal a small white office. Cami stepped inside the room, and saw a cluttered desk and a chair behind it. Just like the king's office, it had two straight-backed chairs, but they were not as expensive-looking as the king's. A serious-face Kel sat in one of them.

"Sit down Cami," Merric said, and took a seat in his own chair as Cami complied. He folded his hands on his desk and looked at her.

"Sir, did I do something wrong or…or…I don't know…" Cami trailed off.

"Did you do something wrong that I don't know about?" asked Merric.

"I don't think so," said Cami slowly, not sure if the fight was classified as 'wrong'.

"Good," said Merric. _(A/N: that was based on a conversation between me and my principal when I got called down to the office, minus the fight part. And no, I didn't in trouble.)_ "Now Cami, please do not get angry or anything…"

"Why should I be mad at you, sir?" asked Cami curiously.

Merric sighed. "Because I know that you're the heir to the throne of Scanra."

"What?" Cami exploded. "Who-who-" Her eyes fastened on Kel. "You," she hissed. "I trusted you! I thought you were my friend!"

"Now don't get mixed up Cami," Merric said quickly. "She didn't tell me."

"Then who did?" Cami was confused. Irnai couldn't, she was missing…Tobe couldn't, he didn't even know Merric.

"The king."

Cami almost laughed out loud. "The king? Very funny. Now, really, who told you?"

"I'm not kidding Cami," Merric said, his face quite serious. "The king actually did tell me."

"A few minutes after you left," Kel spoke for the first time. "The king called in Merric and told him your secret. He had this 'plan'. Cami, I know the king. He's a nice man, and a great ruler. But even the calmest, sanest of people go crazy for a minute or two. I hope that this is the case with him. I know you aren't believing a word I say, so I was lucky enough to get this." Kel lifted a small globe out of a small bag at her side.

"What's that?" asked Cami.

"We're really quite lucky to have the most powerful mage in Tortall living here. Numair helped me get it. It's my memory. When I say the right words, it will expand, and I want you to watch very carefully." Kel said solemnly.

"Sure," agreed Cami, bemused.

Kel held her hand over the ball and muttered a phrase in Old Thak, a language as ancient as time. Suddenly the globe, once purple, turned clear, and slowly began to expand until it was the size of a large melon. It hovered in mid-air. A picture grew in the middle, and the memory began.

"_Yes, yes, of course," said the king impatiently. _

"_Oh thank you!" _Cami saw herself get up and rush out of the room. She winced; she hadn't really known how bad she looked after being injured in the fight.

"_I do think that went rather well," said the king, folding his hands and looking straight at the people watching the memory. "Now, there are a couple of matters we must talk about."_

"_What matters, Sire?" _Kel's voice seemed to float out of nowhere, but Cami remembered that it was Kel's memory, so she kept watching. She watched as the king invited Merric in, told him Cami's secret, and revealed his awful plan to 'tweak' her training. He outlined all his plans as Cami stared at the globe.  
He wouldn't do that, she told herself. He wouldn't. But he just did, said the other side of her. No, it can't be, she thought fiercely. It's a trick, just a trick. But she knew that it wasn't, as she heard his deep voice talk about how to stop her from being the best she could be.

The image slowly disappeared when Kel and Merric exited the king's office, and the globe shrank to its regular size, glittering innocently. "I trusted him," Cami said softly, tearing pouring down her cheeks. "And he just threw it away like a sack of rotten potatoes."

Kel stroked Cami's hair. "Don't worry," she said softly. "It'll be okay." Cami smiled weakly. It seemed like Kel had taken some lessons in comforting from Alanna.

"We have a plan," Merric said. "Instead of lessening and leaving out key parts of your training, we're going to give you the same training, if not better. It just isn't right to weaken your opponent while they're defenseless, even if it _is_ for the betterment of your country."

"Master Numair was distressed to hear of it, as was his wife Daine. We had to tell them before His Majesty got to them and persuaded them to take his side. They will help, since both of them are your teachers." Kel said.

"Daine's my teacher?" asked Cami, completely confused. "But I don't have wild magic."

"Daine is going to lend you the ability to speak to animals so they can teach you about the earth," Merric explained. "She's also going to help translate, since animals-or at least she says-are hard to talk to, for sometimes they may have things to say that you don't know about."

"Wow," Cami said. "Thank you so much. I never thought that anything like this would happen to me, and now that it did-I'm so glad to have friends to count on. And you sir-you barely even know me, and you decided to help as much as you could." Her eyes filled up with tears again.

"We just thought that you ought to know," Kel said simply, then looked at Cami's face. "Goddess, you still haven't been healed from last night! Go on to the healers to get those wounds looked at." She gave Cami a little push towards the door.

"Thanks," added Cami quietly.

Next thing she knew, Cami was in the healer's wing of the palace, as the main healer, Duke Baird, examined her. "I've heard that you've met my son Nealan," The healer peered at her nose.

"He's your _son_?" asked Cami incredulously.

"Yes," Duke Baird replied. "I've been chief healer here for a long time. I started a little before Alanna was a page."

Cami grinned. "Aren't you getting a little old for this?"

"You sound exactly like Neal! What is it with people these days? It seems like that when you're a day over fifty, people are expecting you to be laying around in bed moaning about your aches and pains! I'm fit enough to take care of myself, thanks!" The duke said, and Cami laughed.

"All finished," he told her. "A healing usually tires people, so lie down on the bed over there a bit." He indicated a bed off in the corner.

"Thanks," Cami smiled, and the duke bustled off to see another person. She lay down and yawned. I _am_ tired, she thought. Maybe a nap will do me good…

…

_Cami opened her eyes. She was floating in mid-air in an enclosed white room. She could tell that she was dreaming, but didn't really care._

_"Hi Cami!" Suddenly a cheerful Irnai appeared in front of her. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to fall asleep?"_

_"Um…no?" Cami guessed._

_"Well that doesn't matter now," Irnai said impatiently. "You see, your mother-I mean, adoptive mother-knows what Maggur's secret weapon is, correct?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"Well, if I sift through your memories, and find your village square, I can transport myself there, and ask you mother what the weapon is!" At Cami's confused look, she added, "It's a seer-child thing. Now, you're just gonna have to stay here for a few more minutes and find some way to amuse yourself."_

_"How?" Cami wanted to know. _

_"I don't know…float or something…" Irnai said absent-mindedly, and with a little 'pop', she disappeared._

_Cami sat around floating for a while, then flew around, enjoying the funny swooshing noises she made when she turned. If only I could fly like this without using an airboard, Cami thought wistfully. Maybe I can…I'll try it when I wake up. Wake up! She suddenly remembered Amoret. What about Amoret? She thought. She must be worried sick! Soon three small 'pops' interrupted her frantic thinking, and she turned around. Irnai was back with-_

_"Ma! Da!" Cami cried, and flew over to them. They scooped her up in their arms and hugged her tight. _

_When they finally let go of each other, Cami and her mother and father turned back to Irnai. "What did you do when you left me?"_

_"I used the location in your memory and appeared in your village square. I was lucky no one saw me. I found your parents' house, and knocked on their door. It took a while to persuade them to fall asleep so I could take them to you. But I did do it, didn't I?" Irnai glared at Cami's parents. Cami's mother sniffed, and Irnai frowned. Then she looked briefly proud of herself for achieving her goal, but soon her face turned serious. "I'm sorry that we don't have time for a big reunion, but we need to get down to business. Sorry Cami, but we have to know."_

_"Know what?" Cami asked. She had forgotten everything except that her parents were here._

_"What the weapon is."_

_"What weapon?"_

_"Gods curse it, Cami!" Irnai stamped her foot-if you can stamp you foot in mid-air-and glared at her. "Maggur's secret weapon! Don't you remember anything?" _

_"No."_

_Irnai shook her head and turned to Cami's mother. "Er, Cami's mother, what is Maggur's secret weapon? The one he's planning to use in this new war of his?"_

_Cami's mother's face darkened. "Oh that."_

_"Yes, that."_

_"Memories," Cami's mother said simply._

_"Memories? How is that a weapon?" Cami asked, bewildered._

_"Cami, everyone has at least one bad memory," he mother explained. "Maggur's evil memory spirits crawl into people's minds. They make them relive their worst memories, and then make it worse and worse, until the person is-"_

_"-utterly helpless," ended Irnai hollowly. She and Cami's mother exchanged brief grins, and then turned away like nothing had happened. They obviously didn't like each other very much, Cami noted._

_"And if they don't find a memory horrible enough," continued her mother, "they create one worse than any that anyone could possibly experience."_

_Cami's mouth dropped open. "Th-th-that's horrible!" she yelled._

_"I know," said her father miserably. "That worst part is that we don't know how he' s making them, or who it is."_

_Then Irnai interrupted. "Cami, you're probably wondering why I'm in Scanra."_

_"Uh, no, you're there to find out the weapon," Cami said._

_"Well, that, and I'm going to tell the prophecy to all the other Scanrans here. I mean, you can't just bust in a country and strut about saying that you're queen, can you? You have to have a foundation, one that I'm willing to provide. In the meantime, I can also try to find out who's the creator of the memory spirits and how they're making them." Irnai beamed._

_"Great!" Cami said._

_"So you read the diary honey?" her mother asked._

_"Yes, and I have so much to tell!" Cami said, but before she could begin, Irnai interrupted._

_"Cami, you've got to get going. I'll tell your parents everything." She said hurriedly._

_"Irnai, you can stay at our house until you tell every person in this village the prophecy," Cami's father offered, with a warning look at his wife, who started to object._

_Cami felt herself disappearing. "Irnai, you're the best! I love you Ma and Da!"_

_"We love you too, sweetie!" They waved good-bye as Cami disappeared with a gentle 'pop'._

…

Cami sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Thank Mithros you're up! We thought you'd sleep forever!" Cami stared up into Tobe's bright blue eyes. Then she turned her head and saw Gydo and Violeta.

"Amoret?" Cami asked.

"She's still at her training." Gydo said dismissively. "Now, Tobe asked the horses if Irnai had taken one, and they all said no! There wasn't one missing either! So she couldn't be very far, could she?"

"Oh, you'd better believe she is!" Cami said, and quickly related her 'dream', minus the queen part, and only said that Irnai would be staying there for a while longer.

Tobe sank down on the bed. "Memories," he whispered, and put his head in his hands. Suddenly the bell rang for supper and Cami suddenly realized that she was hungry. She leaped out of the bed and ran downstairs, leaving the others to catch up.

When Cami slid into the seat next to Amoret, she whispered in the other girl's ear, "Come to my room tonight. I have something very important to tell you." Amoret nodded to show that she understood and kept chewing.

That night, after supper, Cami unlocked her door to her room, and she and Amoret stepped inside. Then Cami saw a glowing blue globe on her dresser and an envelope. She grabbed the envelope and opened it. A notefell out, and Cami opened it apprehensively. _The Black One strikes again…_ was all it read.

"'The Black one strikes again?'" Cami said, putting the note down. "What the-" She never finished the sentence, for her hand had brushed against the globe and she let out a terrible scream and fainted.

…

_Dun, dun, dun! What has happened to our poor little Cami? Is she dead? Is she poisoned? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out! Candy for reviewers!_

_Mel_


	13. Inside the Image

Hey I know you guys hate cliffies, but that's why I love them. I like making you suffer…muahahahaha! Bwahahahaha! Ok, im done. I'm sorta sugar high. Lol.

_**On top of cloud 9:** I ALWAYS check your fics! I have you on Author alert! I'm sorry I have to make you suffer, but it's always good to end with cliffies; it makes people want to read them more. Of course, you would read this without cliffies, wouldn't you? WOULDN'T YOU? Sorry, I'm a bit tired. About the blue globe, coming up, and the Black One…well, he's going to be in the main story a lot. I hope you enjoyed the story of the cheez-it transporter! Lol. _

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** It's always good to admit you're wrong. Ack! I'm sounding like my mother! But hey, I'm almost always wrong, and I get over it. And, yes, you aren't wrong on this one. It is a bad memory thingie, but Numair didn't make this one. But doesn't Maggur make bad memory thingies? Hmm…so maybe the black one is in league with Maggur. Oh no, could it be? I'm winking right now, but you can't see it…_

_**Syl Rose:** Hi newly new reviewer! It's great that you are reviewing my story! And join the club, I think Tamora Pierce is the greatest and she's my idol! But finding out online when I researched her that she's a fifty-year-old lady lady that's (I'm sorry, but I must say it) fat was a let down…but oh well! And thank you, thank you, I'm happy that you think it's a great story. And unless you have a candy transporter, I'm afraid you'll have to do without. But don't tell the others that…_

_**Random89:** I'm sorry I left ya hanging. And of course she's not dead, I just felt like putting that there! But that's you're random spazzy Mel for you…). And I hope you don't mind the thing I put on my profile…about your story…but I really think that it's amazing and I want others to know it too! Ok, don't cry, I know I'm nice like that. I'm so modest, I know._

_**Darkjdeg:** heyy, erin, I'm so very happy that you reviewed my story and that you updated yours! Its amazing! I'm sorry, the Black One's identity is gonna be revealed at the END of the story. Sorry. And thanx for the compliement on the cliffy, not many other people seem to like them (glares)! Jk, you guys. And personally, I can't wait to find out what happens next. Even though I probably seem like a loser for not knowing what should happen in my own story, I reread it, and I feel suspenseful, and that makes want to write more! I know, I have problems. _

_You guys, I'm gonna have to break it to you: Cami's probably not going to be queen in this book. NO, do NOT get out your old stinky turkey sandwiches and throw them at me, I don't like turkey. It's just that if I want to do all the stuff I want to do in this book type thingy, I can't make her queen yet. Just like Dove wasn't queen of the Copper Isles until the second book. I'm really, really sorry. This book's gonna be about her studies, the Black One (dun dun dun!), and she's going to find out how Maggur makes the bad memory things. I may throw in some surprises about her life, like this chapter holds another memory. It's sad, but you'll get over it. There's one more thing I wanted to say…what is it…I swear, I have ADD or something like that…oh yeah! I just want to recommend to you. It's a TP thing. Can't say anymore, cause I know you want the story!_

Cami found herself floating in an immense stretch of blackness. Unlike the little white room Irnai had brought her to, this had an air of dangerousness and she felt inferior to this dark area. She twisted, trying to find a bit of ground or something, but there was nothing. Then she turned again, desperate to find something to hold on to. There was a little rectangle floating by her. She moved her arms like she was swimming, but it was like moving through honey. Nevertheless, she grabbed the rectangle and clung to it as it moved. Then she stared down into it and saw a moving picture.

_A gnarled hand with thick, yellow finger nails held a quill. It was dipped into a tiny pot, and was put to a piece of parchment. The mottled hand moved slowly, trembling. The writing was shaky and barely readable, but the letters began to make themselves clearer. The hand was withdrawn, and the entire paper could be read. It was a list of some sort._

Memory Globes: Color-Power 

_Red-1_

_Orange-2_

_Yellow-3_

_Green-4_

_Blue-5_

_Purple-6_

_Grey-7_

_Black-8_

_Clear-9_

There was a key to the colors and numbers, but the ink was smdged, and illegible. The hand reappeared and the parchment was rolled up, and sealed with wax. The wax was blood-red, and the symbol in the middle was a 'W' and an 'M'.

Cami let the rectangle go, forgetting about the need to hold on to anything. It gently floated away, oblivious to the girl deep in thought. I saw Maggur, I'm sure of it, Cami thought. That's his symbol. The list was about the memory globes. Her blue globe in her room was a five, so it was pretty powerf-

The instant she thought about the globe, the endless darkness vanished, and was replaced by a towering image of the warlord. The giant Maggur grinned showing his awful rotting teeth. Then he withdrew a dagger, the same crooked dagger she had been stabbed with before. She looked up, terrified. The memory, she thought desperately. It must have been the one when I was five- An intense pain slashed her arm, and she cried out. It was so real. Instead of leaving, the man plunged the knife in her flesh again, and again. It glistened with blood-her blood. It's only a memory, she thought desperately. It's only a memory. That didn't work. Soon enough, she had forgotten everything except for the fact that the loss of blood was slowly killing her. "No," she moaned. "Stop, please, I'm begging you,"

But the man just grinned, and a pain shot through her stomach. "Don't," she groaned. "Just kill me, please, just kill me-" There was a flash of light and the scene disappeared. Red light filtered through her eyelids, and she opened them slowly.

"Cami?" Numair's soft voice penetrated her ears. "Cami, it's okay now."

"Wh-what?" Cami slowly pushed herself up, and her head roared, and her shaking arms collapsed, letting her fall back on the bed. "What happened?"

"You touched that globe and fainted," Amoret's face was as white as a ghost. "For a while you were silent, and then you started shrieking. I ran and got Master Numair across the hall. You were screaming and crying. I kept shaking you, but you wouldn't wake up."

Numair took over speaking. "I grabbed a potion from my room, a very powerful one, mind you. Amoret kept your mouth open and I poured the liquid down you throat. The rest is history." He looked concerned.

Cami grabbed Numair's shirt sleeve. "Please, get Kel and Merric. I need to talk to you three."

"What about me?" Amoret asked, looking hurt.

"And you," Cami wheezed. "Quickly." She lay back down and said no more.

When she woke up for the second time, she was in her bed, and the first thing she saw was Kel, then a bottle was shoved at her, and a vile tasting liquid was poured down her throat. Cami swallowed and gagged. "Augh! What was that stuff?" She looked at Kel's face, then changed her mind. "Actually, never mind, I don't want to know. Wait," she stopped. "Get Tobe."

"Tobe?" Amoret wrinkled her nose. "You mean that weird boy that sits with us? Why do you want him?"

Kel and Cami glared at the girl, and she immediately shut up. "I know where he is," said Kel, and left.

"Now for the second one," Amoret said. She stood by Cami's beside table-which was covered in potions-and Numair and Merric stood behind her.

"The second wha-" Then her tongue was burning and she quickly swallowed before she threw up. She glared scathingly in Amoret's direction another time, and the girl just smiled sweetly and handed Cami a glass of water. By the time Cami was finished rinsing her mouth, Kel was back with Tobe.

"For Amoret's, Merric's, and Numair's benefit, I will start at the beginning…" Cami started to explain how she came to Tortall, the diary, the king's plan, everything-except for the fight, which she just said that they fell down, for Amoret was giving her a look that said 'If you tell, I will kill you on the practice courts'.

"Now, what does this have to do with the globe, right?" Cami said. "Well, today, after I came back from the healers' where I saw Irnai, I brought Amoret in here. I had decided that it was the time for her to know the truth. But when we entered, we found an envelope and a blue globe on my dresser. I opened the note, which read, 'The Black One strikes again…'. We had no clue what it meant, and when I was putting the note down, my hand brushed against the globe, and I fainted."

"What did you see when you fainted?" Amoret asked eagerly.

"A lot more than you can imagine," Cami said grimly. She told them about the strange world with the floating image, and that when she thought of the globe, she was shoved into her memory. Obviously others would be wondering what the globe was, and therefore they would be plunged into the memory right away. Cami, on the other hand, didn't, so she had the privilege of seeing what she saw. Then she told them of the memory, and how it became worse. "Luckily Master Numair saved me just in time. I can't imagine how horrible it would be if the memory got even worse."

Stunned silence greeted that statement, and Cami gulped. She bent down, and grabbed some ink, a quill, and some parchment. She quickly drew up the list and gave it to Kel. "This is what the list looked like," she told the lady knight. Then she turned to Numair. "Um, Master Numair?"

"Hmmm?" The sorcerer was deep in thought.

"I feel much better since you gave me those revolting-I mean, relevantly delicious potions. Can we go to your quarters for the lessons?" Cami asked tentatively.

"Ah, yes. I almost forgot," Numair said. "Tonight my wife will be teaching you. Not me."

"Oh," Cami said. "Well, Kel, Sir Merric, Tobe, Amoret, thanks for coming. And you too, Master Numair."

"Of course," said the mage absentmindedly, and he wandered out of the room, muttering to himself.

"Bye Cami," said Amoret brightly, and followed Numair out, along with Kel and Merric, who were deep in conversation. Soon only Tobe remained as Cami got out of bed and grabbed her pack.

"That really happened?" Tobe asked.

"Yeah," Cami tugged on a shoe.

"Do you think those memory things could kill people? I mean, really kill?" Tobe questioned.

Cami stopped in the middle of pulling on the other shoe and concentrated. "I think maybe the black ones, and most definitely the clear ones. Why are you asking me these questions?"

"I don't know. I was just wondering, I guess. I just don't want anyone to get hurt." Tobe looked at her strangely, then said, "Bye Cami," and bolted.

Cami shook her head at the door. Ever since they arrived at the palace, Tobe had been acting strangely towards her. She could almost have sworn she had seen-she dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand, and put it out of her mind. Boys, she thought, smiling. They're always acting strangely.

She left her room and knocked on Daine's door. It opened to reveal little Sarra. Gone was the solemn-faced little girl who she had seen before; the Sarra now was jumping up and down and smiling. "Cami, Cami, Cami! Yay! Can you make me fly again? Can you? Can you?"

Cami laughed. "Ok, but just a little ride-"

"Yayyyyy!" the girl crowed.

"-if your mother says you can." Cami finished.

Sarra frowned. "Mommy's busy getting ready for you. But Daddy's here! Daddy!" She called, and Numair appeared, a brush stuck in his thick black hair.

"Sarra, what is it now-oh, hello Cami. Nice to see you." Numair said, seemingly forgetting he had just seen her a few moments ago.

"Nice to see you too," Cami grinned. "Your daughter wants me to mak her fly. Do I have your permission?"

"Certainly. That means 'yes'," He told his daughter, who went from looking confused to ecstatic. "May I watch?"

"Sure," Cami said, and looked at his hair. "Um, your brush-"

"Oh yes," he grimaced. "I almost forgot. I'll brush while I watch."

"Ok then," Cami said, then turned back to Sarra. I think I'll try something different this time, so she doesn't get bored with the same thing, Cami thought. She turned to look out of a window. A fluffy cloud floated across the sky. If only I could be that light, floating gently-wait! Floating! That dream! She would make Sarra float just as easily as Cami did! She would bewitch the air in the room into believing that Sarra was lighter than it was, and then Sarra was rise up. "I have to close all the windows and doors," Cami told Numair, who was wrestling with a particularly difficult snarl.

"Oh gods above!" Numair cursed, and a blast of light flew from his hand to his brush, and he stared crossly at a now-singed curl. "That's the third time that's happened today," he muttered, then he looked at Cami. "Oh, sure, do what you need."

Cami hid a smile behind one hand as she quickly closed and locked all the windows and doors. Then she took a few deep breaths and opened her mind to the air around her. Cami almost screamed; it was so loud! All the air particles were zooming around and bouncing merrily. Stop! She screamed with her mind. All the particles instantly turned towards her.

Um, hi, I'm Cami, the girl said nervously, and then thought, Screw the introductions. Get to the magic. She breathed in and out, and grabbed a coil of her power. That girl-she indicated Sarra, who was standing patiently in front of her-is lighter than you. Her mind-voice was thick with power and magic. That girl is lighter than you. She repeated, and she repeated the phrase over and over again until she was sure the air was convinced. After all, she wouldn't want to be the cause of her teachers' daughter's broken leg, would she?

Cami broke the connection and opened her eyes. Her gaze turned to Sarra. The girl was still standing patiently in front of her, waiting. Nothing happened. "Aw, man," Cami shoved her hands in her pockets. "It must not have worke-" The words flowed to a stop as Sarra began to rise from the ground.

"Wheeeee!" Sarra yelled gleefully, as she turned a few somersaults. Numair had long since abandoned his brushing and was staring at his little girl who was literally bouncing off the walls. "Cami, Cami, Cami! This is great!" she cried out.

"Well Cami's getting tired now," said Numair, regaining his ability to speak, even though Cami was nothing of the sort. "And Daddy has to go." He looked at Cami pointedly, who immediately understood. "Honey, fly into Daddy's arms so you don't fall when Cami releases the spell."

Sarra complied as Cami closed her eyes and said to the air, Sarra is heavier than you. All it took was that one simple comment, and suddenly Cami heard Numair go, "Oomph! You're getting big!"

Cami opened her eyes to see Sarra smile, and hop on to floor. She immediately hurtled towards Cami, crying out, "Cami, that was bester than before! I love you Cami!" This time Cami was ready for the hug that came next, and swooped the little girl in her arms and hugged her back.

Cami was hit with a wave of homesickness, or memory-sickness, if there was one. When she was five, she had a mother and a father too, but this girl had a happy life ahead of her, while Cami had had fourteen years of pain, misery, and the fear of death in a chaos-ridden country everyone called Scanra. It had been no picnic. Then Cami remembered when she was twelve, and her cousin and her best friend, Liam, had been drafted into the army a few days ago…

"Cami, this doesn't look good," her father said grimly. "We know that Liam doesn't agree with Maggur's…opinions, and I heard he was giving the officers some trouble…"

"He's gonna be okay," she said offhandedly. "What could possibly go wrong? I mean, you can't execute people for their opinions." How wrong she was.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Cami peered cautiously out the window. It was a serious-faced guard dressed in the required all-blue uniform. He had something draped over his arms. Cami nodded to her father to open the door, and when he did so, she wished she had never seen a door in her life. She looked upon the 'something' in the man's arms. It was Liam, his body riddled with arrows. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide open in shock. His mouth was slightly parted, as though he'd been speaking when he died. Instead of dying from wounds or blood loss, a fateful arrow had reached its mark: Liam's heart.

"He was trouble," said the officer simply, and dumped Liam's lifeless body into her father's arms and left, walking calmly down the street as though he had not delivered a death to a shocked family.

Cami slid to the ground, sobbing noiselessly, tears leaving streaks down her face. Her father lay Liam's body down in front of her, on the floor. Cami screamed, and tried to yank out the arrows. Liam's life flashed before her, Liam laughing, teaching her how to use daggers, Liam riding horses, their late night games of chess by the fire. Finally, she let go of the arrows, and stared at the door that the guard had come through. "That's your idea of fun, right?"

…

I know, I know, the memories are sad, but that's what makes her the greatest candidate for a queen! She's motivated! She wants to stop the people who tore her family apart! Review, Review, REVIEW!  
Mel


	14. On the Hill NEW VERSION

Hey, you guys, I'm sorry I didn't update sooner. I have terrible writer's block, and have been busy for such a long time it's not even funny. So if this isn't up to my usual standards, I'm sorry, I still kind of have that writer's block.

_**Syl Rose:** Yeah, I wasn't expecting her to be that way either. It was kind of shocking. I'm sorry that I haven't updated for a while, I've had the terrible writer's block disease. Yes, Cami's had trouble, but that's why she needs to be queen: she wants to stop the trouble! You should put a profile, and start writing one of your own stories. That'd be great!_

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** Glad you enjoyed it! And Cami will usually be okay, jsyk. Update your own story too! I love it!_

_**Darkjdeg:** I know it's sad…but it has to be, or else the happy parts won't seem…well, happy! I find myself wanting to cry more too these days, but never over a story really-which is weird, because all that I do practically is read-but more over movies and plays. I cried during a high school's presentation of The King and I-they were absolutely amazing, so good, they should be on Broadway-and during the movie The Phantom of the Opera. I'm obsessed about that too. And join the club, I'm hyper too. Well duh, who isn't? And that's too bad you can't update for a while…I want more! And about Tobe and Cami…you'll just have to see for yourself. _

_**TPFreak:** I love your username. It's perfect. And I feel so special, I love new reviewers! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep updating your story! It's amazing! Yay, I love rewiews!_

_**On top of cloud 9:** Dumb computer! –swings fist at your computer, misses, and accidentally breaks lamp-oops, sorry…I'm happy you liked it! I love this website; everybody makes you feel so loved, except for the MarySue Patrol, which goes around saying how sucky everyone's stories are. Update your own stories!_

Now, I warned you, writer's block happening. Don't be to harsh on me-holds up arms as if to shield blows-. Well, the adventures of Cami continue!

OK, I HAD to read this chappy. Don't blame me. My cousin was reading it, and she sent me an AMAZING end romance scence. So, I must ask you to reread this chapter. Thanks.

Cami put Sarra back down, blinking away tears so the little girl wouldn't notice that she was crying. One escaped and traveled down her pale cheek, leaving a mark.

"Cami?" asked Sarra, her usually cheerful face creased with worry. "Is you ok?"

"I just got some dust in my eye," Cami lied, and wiped her shirt sleeve across her face, trying to look like she was getting a piece of dust out of her eye, while really blotting tears.

"Oh, ok!" Sarra's frown disappeared, and she bounced towards a door that Cami suspected was the little girl's room. She grabbed the doorknob and tugged. Nothing happened. She yanked again; the same reaction. Frowning, she looked at her father. "Daddy, the door's stuck!"

"Oh, sorry," Cami said. "It's locked. I'll get it-" She started towards the door, but Numair got there first. Not literally, but he raised a finger and suddenly the handle turned.

"Thanks Daddy! Bye Cami!" Sarra scampered in her room and closed the door behind her. Once she was gone, Numair turned to Cami.

"That was quite a feat of magic you performed there," he pointed out quietly.

"Thanks, but it was nothing really," Cami said, her cheeks turning pink. She wasn't really used to getting compliments…

The soldier turned to look at her, his face covered in sweat. "I'm not here to baby-sit!" He yelled. Cami cringed; his breath smelled like raw onions.

_"What, Cam, you don't like it?" The soldier turned to look at her-now a him, for in the bandit group she was disguised as a boy by the name of Cam-. He breathed in her face as long as he could, nearly suffocating the girl. "You better get to work, or else you'll be beaten hard, and I'll do the job myself, breathing in and out in your pitiful little face."_

_Cami turned away, and raised her axe to chop more firewood. A rough hand grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her.  
"I wasn't finished," hissed the man, and pulled her up. Cami shrank away. "Scared?" He looked over all the men, and yelled, "Look, the swine Cam is scared!" _

_Laughter bellowed out among the trees, and Cami turned pink as she watched the men chortle and chuckle, stopping their work to stare at her. _

_"Silence! I didn't say to stop, did I?" The soldier roared. He looked at Cami. "Did I, boy?" Cami didn't answer, and the soldier twisted her arm more. "I said, did I?" Cami kept her mouth firmly shut. A sharp crack and Cami screamed in pain. _

_"No, sir…you didn't…" Cami said quietly, tears running down her face._

_"That's better." The soldier threw her down on the ground. "You've got latrine duty, Cam. At midnight. And if you don't show…there's more where that came from." The soldier spat on the ground and walked away._

Cami grabbed the axe, and continued chopping, pretending each log was the soldier's leering face.

Cami shook herself; Numair was talking. "Wh-what?" she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

Numair smiled kindly at her. "I said, of course it was. I don't know if even _I _could have pulled it off." He leaned closer. "What exactly did you do?"

"Well, do you remember my dream with Irnai in it, and how I was floating in a room?" Cami began.

"Mmhmm." This time the mage looked truly interested.

"I wanted to try floating like I did then. So I bewitched the air to think that Sarra was lighter than it was, and so she started floating," Cami explained.

"That's brilliant! Maybe I could try the same thing…I could make a potion, or maybe an amulet…" Numair began muttering to himself, and grabbed a quill, ink, and parchment, and began writing furiously. He started hopping in his seat, grinning. "This is perfect!"

Cami blushed again, and she heard a peculiar noise. Actually, it wasn't too peculiar, for she heard door handles turning every day, but nobody stepped out of the door.

"Maybe with these symbols…" The mage, engrossed in his ideas, seemed not to have heard it.

Cami shook her head. Was she hearing things? She could have sworn she had heard a doorknob turn.

"Uh, honey, why are the doors locked?" Daine's voice floated down the hall, but she couldn't be seen.

"Sorry about that, magelet," Numair said, and he sent tendrils of his black Gift to unlock all the doors. Daine stepped out of one, clad in a simple shirt and breeches.

"Aren't you late for a meeting or something?" Daine asked, looking at Numair disapprovingly.

Numair looked astounded. "Great Mithros, I am!" He grabbed his paper, pecked his wife on the cheek, and rushed out the door.

Daine shook her head and sighed. "He's wonderful, but has an awful tendency to make people wait while he forgets them." Then she blinked and added, "Come on in this room," She pointed to the door that she had previously exited out of. "And we'll get started. Today we're working with my dragon, Kitten."

Cami's eyes went wide. "A _dragon_? A real live _dragon_?"

Daine laughed. "A dragon_let _is more like it. And yes, we're working with her. Don't treat her like an animal. Just because she can't talk to me and you doesn't mean she's dumb. In fact, she may even be smarter than us. In any case, she loves compliments."

…

Cami left the Salamin's quarters, head pounding and hands aching. She had memorized and done so much that she ached in places that she needed three mirrors to see. Growing plants, talking to different animals, making maps, everything. Why did she have to make a map? They had plenty of map-makers here, get one of them to do the damn job!

She stumbled into her room, which was lit by only a few candles. A steaming bath lay in the center of the floor as always. Cami stared at it in bliss. I love baths, she thought dreamily.

When she turned to lay out her nightgown, she groaned. A globe shimmered innocently on her dresser. "Not again," she muttered, and glared at it, as though that it would make it go away. Suddenly it rose in mid-air and expanded. All the candles were blown out, leaving the girl in pitch-black, save for the glowing orb hovering in mid-air.

A pair of eyes appeared in the middle of the globe. "Ah Cami," a male voice whispered tauntingly. "I thought that we would meet again."

"Again?" asked Cami fearfully. "Who are you?" She backed off, and banged into her water basin, spilling scalding water down her leg. She screamed.

High, cruel laughter echoed throughout the room. "Who am I?" the voice asked. "Why do you ask? You should know by now." The voice waited a few minutes for Cami to answer, but it was apparent that she had no clue. "I am the Black One!" the voice screeched in annoyance. "Duh!" Suddenly the voice sounded familiar, but Cami couldn't recall it. Then it resumed its whispery tone. "Who am I? It's more of a matter of who are _you_? A student, a mage taught by Numair Salamin and his wife? There is much more to you than meets the eye, and I intend to find out."

"Why do you care so much?" Cami asked angrily.

"Oh, don't speak like that," the voice said. "Or else the memory I sent you will seem like a harmless pinch compared to what I could do with you."

"What do you want from me then?" Cami whispered. "I have nothing. Nothing."

"Just stay out of my way," the voice said. "And don't anger me. I'm watching, always watching." As an after-thought, it added, "Or you'll regret the day you were born on this wretched planet."

The globe exploded, and the candles were re-lit. Cami sank down in her bath. What could possibly happen to me?

…

Tobe lay on his bed. He hadn't seen Cami in ages, at least not really seen her. And he missed her. She's in so much danger these days, Tobe thought. With the Black One, Maggur, and the memory globes. And she doesn't even know it. She's too busy with everything. She doesn't have time for distractions. Distractions like me.

But she could be killed any day, he argued with himself. And if she is…I'll never forgive myself if I haven't told her. Told her that I love her.

She wouldn't have you anyway, he thought miserably. You're a commoner, plain and simple, even if you do serve a knight. She's going to be a queen one day. She needs someone with higher status, some money, and stuff like that. Like that Jal guy._ He's_ going to be a knight one day. You're not going to amount to anything higher than a knight's servant or a hostler.

I don't care! He yelled at his pessimistic side. This time, I can't chicken out or anything. I can't wait. I'll probably have to leave soon, since Kel's always busy, so I gotta do it now. It's now or never.

But how? How am _I_ going to get her alone, or at least some time when she's not busy? She's almost always busy, between lessons, page stuff, and worrying about Maggur, there's no time. None. I'll have to wait until her next day off, and that could be _ages_.

Too bad, he told himself firmly. Her next day off, I'll…I'll…I'll think of something.

…

The next few weeks Cami was extremely busy. She had a ton of lessons with Numair and Daine, and she also had to take her page-though she wasn't going to be one-training. Her favorite class was the one that Merric taught. He was nice and funny, and he never got inpatient or angry. He had a lot of cool new tricks, and Cami worked hard to master them. It made her feel really good about herself when she was finished.

The only thing she didn't feel good about was not seeing her other friends. She saw Irnai sometimes in her dreams, and she knew that Gydo and Violeta were really busy with something, though they wouldn't tell her what it was. It was Tobe she missed the most. He had things to pass the time, like helping the old hostler Stefan with the horses and things, but she missed talking and laughing with him. Lately when she saw him, she felt weird, almost like she didn't know him as well, like he was more of a stranger than a friend. She also felt some other weird emotion, like her stomach flipped when he smiled. It was weird, so she tried to put it out of her mind as much as possible.

Summer was at it's end, and fall was beginning. Page training became harder and harder, and she always liked the meals at the end of the day. Later, after that, she, Amoret, Bys, Chevi, Lyron, Fanog, and Phiran had a study group. Tobe came sometimes, but not often. One night, they were all sitting around in chairs in the library, bored. They had finished all their work, and just sat around talking.

"Hey Cami," Amoret said, smiling.

"What?" Cami looked up from her doodle.

"You know, I think you like Tobe," she said, grinning mischievously.

"What? I do not!" Cami said indignantly.

"Come on, admit it," said Lyron, grinning too. He and his friends had joined the group after the fight. They actually were pretty nice.

"Yeah, we've seen how you look at him," added Chevi.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Cami said.

"Yes, you do," said Fanog.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Cami said, and sent a blast of air at him.

"Hey, no fair! I'm not a mage!" he said.

"But I am!" said Phiran, and he sent his red gift, tickling her uncontrollably.

"Stop it!" said Cami, through giggles.

They paid no attention to her pleas, and descended on her.

"Cami, admit it," Amoret said, smiling.

"I'll tell you if you get off of me!" she gasped. They got off, and looked at her eagerly.

Cami stood up and ran around the library. "Not a chance!" she yelled, and the entire night was spent running around as rain pattered on the windows.

The next morning it was Sunday, so the pages had the day off. Most of Cami's friends had work to do, so she decided that she would go down to the stables to see Tobe. Not because I like him or anything, she said to herself as she trotted down the hill. Because we're friends, pure and simple. And it's a beautiful day out.

"Hi Tobe," she said brightly. He was in Moondust's stall, grooming the horse. He jumped, and turned around.

"Oh, hey Cami," he said, and smiled. Cami's heart flipped over. Stop it! She told herself. "What're you doing here?"

"It's Sunday," she told him. "I have the day off." The boy's blond hair had grown a bit, so it was just long enough to flop into his blue eyes. She felt a strange longing to brush it out of his eyes.

"Oh," he said, and leaned against the stall door. "Hey, do you want to ride the horses? There's a great spot near here."

"Sure," Cami said, and grabbed her horse's tack. "I'll saddle up Moondust while you get Sunfire ready."

Soon they were trotting through the forest. Sunbeams came through the leaves of the trees, playing over their bodies as they rode.

"Just over this hill," Tobe said, and they emerged at the top, out of the woods. Cami gasped. They were on top of a huge hill that overlooked the entire forest and palace. The sky was a bright blue, with only a few clouds in the distance. There was a single tree that provided enough shade for both of them. On the other side, the sun glinted off a smooth glassy surface of a large lake. A breeze ruffled through their hair, and Tobe sighed. "I love this place. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes." That was all Cami said, and it seemed to sum up the entire beauty of it all.

They slid off their horses, and sat under the tree, talking and laughing. It felt great to just be with Tobe like before, swapping stories and telling jokes. She almost wished that it could go on forever. They sat that way for ages, until the sun was setting. (my cousin heather, the amazing heather, whatever you may call, not including psycho, this is her part, and it is so amazing it's scary.)

The scene was beautiful, Tobe thought. But Cami was even more beautiful than anything he had ever seen at this point. He had to tear his eyes away from her as quickly as they fell on Cami. He didn't want to be caught staring ... that would only push him to tell Cami the true meaning of the ride. And Tobe wanted to set the scene himself, on his terms.

"I love the sunset. I haven't had the time to just sit and watch it in a long time." Cami bit her lip. A long time meant long ago when she was just Cami, not Camilliana, hier to the throne of Scanra and and Elemental. "I've forgotten how beautiful it is."

Tobe had to bite his tongue to keep from saying, "yes, you are,". That was probably the corniest word in the book. And Tobe didn't want to be corny. He wanted to be perfect. But he only had so much self-control, so he couldn't help but give Cami a love-sick gaze as he said, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Cami blushed. Tobe jerked his eyes away from her so hard that he almost broke his neck. Why, Cami wondered, did he have to keep doing that? It was so disconcerting, and made conversation awkward.

Tobe and Cami sat in an awkward silence. Once or twice she tried to break the ice, but Tobe would just jerk away, keep talking, but jerk away. And that became a sort of unintentional torture.

The boy sat on his horse desolately. What was he doing wrong?

"Um ... It's getting kinda late, I have classes tomorrow," Cami said hesitantly.

Tobe's mind raced. What could he say now? He had to say something. This girl meant more to him than he could ever know ... and he had to tell her that. "Since when are you a schooling person?" Tobe asked.

Cami's temper was on the verge of exploding until she saw the teasing gleam in Tobe's eyes. "Since I learned that class would keep me away from you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

They both laughed. In part because they both knew that nothing the other person had said was true, and also because the tension was broken. They went on talking and laughing as if they had been doing it all night.

Something clicked in Tobe's mind. Cami didn't need him to be perfect ... if (he thought with a painful twist of his heart) she needed him at all. Cami just needed him ... the way he was. That's why it hadn't worked with Loesia. She'd had this ideal picture of what they needed to be. But nothing was perfect. And Tobe understood that now.

The Scanran girl felt happier than she had in a long time. Here she was, horseback riding into the sunset with the guy of her dreams. And she had figured by now why Tobe had taken her here. Cami was 99 sure that he had wanted to tell her he loved her. But the other 1 still lingered ... and if she wasn't having so much fun with Tobe, that 1 would be driving her crazy.

Silence fell for a moment. but this time, it was not uncomfortable. It simply settled between them like a picnic waiting to be devoured.

Cami broke the silence. "Do you love me?"

Tobe's head almost did a full roatation. Did she really just ask that? How could it be, that she could get something like that out of her system, whereas he let it sit there and drive him crazy? Gosh this girl was great!

Cami was practically trembling. Did she really just ask that?

The horse-boy tried to say something, but words just seemed to get caught in his throat. His heart was slamming against his ribs. Then he looked into Cami's eyes. Tobe saw in them what he saw in himself. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Tobe let his heart take over. His head didn't seem to be doing him much good.

"I don't think I really know what love is," Tobe replied.

Tears began to bubble in the corners of Cami's eyes. She looked away, humiliated.

Tobe reached over and placed his fingers under her chin. Gently, he turned her head back towards him. "But if love means never wanting to see someone cry, if love means never being able to really be angry at someone, if love means that you always want to be there for someone, to catch them when they fall, to give them a shoulder when they cry, and if love means that someone can turn you entirely around without you having a single problem with it ... then, Cami, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in the whole world."

In spite of it all, Cami laughed a little. His fingers on her chin sent electricity jolting through her body. "That was a cruel joke to play," she teased.

"But you'll forgive me right?"

"Why should I forgive you?"

"Because ... you love me too." Tobe didn't wait for a reply. His fingers on her chin moved to brush a strand of hair into her face and behind her ear. Then they slowly moved to the back of her neck. Tobe leaned in ... and touched his lips to hers.

Cami pulled back a little. "Yes," she whispered, "Because I love you." And then she gave in to Tobe's kiss once more.

Well, I hope that was an okay chapter. And yes, you got your wish, I am making them get together. I hope you don't mind mushy parts, because the beginning of the next chapter…well, you'll just have to see won't you?

I hope you love my cousin as much as I do, because she is the ultimate best cousin ever! I liked mine, but hers is really really good. I hope you liked it!

R&R!

_Mel_


	15. Where did they come from?

Hi, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! I've been SO busy, it's not even funny. 

_**Darkjdeg:** I know I have to update…ahh, it's been so long! What happened to your story, eh? Did you go limp on it, like I did on this for a bit? I want you to update soon! I hope your week was fun with your cousin!_

_**TPFreak:** I'm happy you liked it…I'm a hopeless romantic myself too…-blushs- I really hope you update soon. I still can't decide between Ayden/Ryn, or Gary/Ryn. It's driving me crazy! Update soon and show me what you like best! Btw, this is gonna be a bit mushy…_

_**Syl Rose:** I'm sorry about the pause. I hate writer's block! –swings fist again, misses, breaks mirror, and winces. "Bad luck for me!"- Yeah, I know how you feel. I have good ideas for stories, like the beginnings, but then I can't figure out how the plot should go! It's so annoying. –raises back fist as if to punch, then stops and thinks a moment. 'I really don't want to break anything else…'- _

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** I'm so happy you like it so much! I'm going to become vain because of these compliments. I love your story! It' s the perfect mixture of everything: sadness, magic, character-all that good stuff. Update soon!_

_**On top of cloud 9:** -whistles appreciatively-wow, 110? That's a lot…anyways, my cousin did the bottom part. Mine was sucky, so I redid that chappy using her version. I think it's a lot better now. Hope Oregon was fun! And please update your own story! I've been waiting for a while! _

_Now, I hope I do this right. I want it to be mushy, but not too mushy…you get my drift. Well, here it goes…_

_Oh, and ps, please reread chapter 14. I redid it cause it was sucky. The bottom part, I mean. Now it continues!_

Cami was in pure bliss. If she wasn't sure that she loved him when she said she did, she was sure now. This was where she wanted to be, and where she belonged, in his arms forever and ever. His warm arms enveloped her body, and his breath tasted like mint in her mouth. This is happiness, she thought dazedly, and kissed him back passionately.

Tobe couldn't believe it. At first he wasn't sure if she was kidding around or what…but when he kissed her, he knew that she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her.

His touch touched her mouth, and she smiled the tiniest bit before opening it, letting their breath mingle. She moved her hands along his back, and pulled him closer, feeling warm, warmer than she'd ever felt before. He picked her up from her horse, not stopping the kiss, and swung off his. They sat on the grass in complete and total happiness.

Tobe pulled away for a brief moment, and whispered, his voice heavy with emotion, "I love you Cami. I always will." For a moment, they weren't in Tortall, they weren't on top of the hill above a forest, it was just them, together.

Then Cami leaned forward and whispered, "Don't stop," and kissed him again ever so gently. He smiled.

Suddenly Cami pulled away. "What-" Tobe started to say, bewildered, but Cami cut him off.

"Shh!" She looked around warily. "I don't think were alone."

Tobe was instantly quiet. She was right; there were small mutterings, and a cough erupted from nearby.

"Quiet, you fool!" hissed a harsh croaky voice. "We don't want them to know we're here!"

"I think they already do," said a second voice, and a few mutterings of agreement echoed around them.

A deep, dark chuckle echoed from the throat of the first voice. Cami froze. She knew that laugh. The officer, she thought desperately. The one from Scanra that broke my leg. "Hello," he whispered. "How are you today?"

Twenty or so soldiers rose out of the gloom, smiles apparent on their dirt-caked faces. One waved a torch around. "A young boy, and a-" He stopped, and peered closer at Cami. He jumped back in surprise. "Oy, boss! This 'un was one of ours! You know, th' short, tiny one?"

The officer bent down, and grinned evilly. "Why, yes it is! I broke your legs! I didn't expect to see you again! It looks like you got yourself rescued, huh?" He didn't wait for an answer. "And you're a girl?" He grinned again, and waved his torch around. "That's against the rules," he whispered.

Cami was stock still, shocked. "How-how-" she spluttered.

"What, afraid?" The soldier's tall figure loomed over her, casting a long dark shadow over her in the light of the disappearing sun. "Good," he whispered as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving only dark shapes of people circled around them. "You should be."

Then he turned around, his voice loud. "Seize the boy!" Before Cami could say a word, two figures grabbed Tobe roughly, one clamping a hand over his mouth, so he couldn't scream. His eyes were wide with fright.

"No!" Cami yelled. "Let him go!"

"_Let him go!_" mocked the officer. "I'll do nothing of the sort. Besides, I can't wait to bring you home, with your little _boyfriend_ here as bait. Then, of course, you'll have to answer to Maggur." Cami's blood boiled at the thought. "And your parents too."

Cami stared up at the men who stood around her, who were laughing harshly at the thought of ruining Cami's life. Her face burned. They can't do this, she thought furiously. They can't ruin my life!

She stood and released the straps that held her daggers in place. They dropped into her hands, and she grasped them tightly, her face contorted with anger. This, unfortunately, just made the soldiers laugh harder.

"What? Are you going to slice us into itsy-bitsy pieces?" taunted one.

"Yeah. Are ya?" added another, sniggering.

She growled and slashed at one. They stepped back, a bit spooked. The officer, however, was unperturbed.

"You'll never get us all, you know," he said matter-of-factly. "We out number you twenty to one."

Cami's face dropped, faking submission. I can't with these, she thought, her hair hiding her face. But I can with something else. She slowly bent to the ground, looking like she was dropping the weapons.

"Exactly," said the soldier. "You catch on quick. Now put down the dagger…down…down…a little bit farther…good."

Cami dropped the weapons as quick as lightning, and rose up into the air, glowing a fierce red. "How dare you!" she boomed. "How _dare_ you!"

Her hands lashed out, and fire streamed from her fingertips, alighting on the two bandits that held Tobe. They howled in pain and instantly dropped the boy. He moved away from the range of fire. The horses whinnied, white showing all the way around their eyes, and bolted. Tobe didn't go after them; they knew the way home.

"What the-" the officer snarled.

The pigment of the air changed; it was green now. The vines encircling the tree writhed menacingly and leaped off the tree towards the soldiers. They grasped six soldiers, binding them together. The other men, frightened, backed away, dropping their weapons. "No!" howled the officer, still standing. "Stand your ground!" The soldiers obeyed reluctantly, but came no closer. Grass shot up from the ground and encircled his ankles, binding him to the earth.

"You will pay!" Cami yelled, swathed in blue light.

Water from the lake trickled up to where she was hovering, gathering into a pool before her. More and more joined it, and soon she had a mass of dark water floating before her. She raised her and arms, the water rising with them. She fed her wrath and despite, her love and despair, all of her being into the water, and twirled it around, until she had a roaring, spitting typhoon in front of her. The soldiers screamed, and the leader tore at the grass binding his feet.

She let it loose.

The typhoon swallowed up the men, howling in triumph as it grabbed the people who made Cami's life hell for three weeks. When it finished, it turned back to its creator, silently asking what she wanted done with the cruel Scanrans.

She came out of her destruction mode, and looked at the men. They were terrified, and their eyes were filled with tears. They had families at home, children, wives. Cami wavered. They had done wrong, yes-but was that enough to burden a family with misfortune? No, she decided. It wasn't. "I will spare you," she said finally, and then looked at the typhoon. "Put them in the lake. I hope you can swim," She directed this last comment at the men, who looked instantly relieved. She knew they would not give her away. Smiling gently, she directed the spout back to the lake, and dumped the men in. They turned back to looked at her glowing figure once, grinned, and swam towards shore.

She slowly descended, and walked towards Tobe. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking concern.

"Yes, thanks to you," he smiled, stood, and brushed off the dirt. "But how're we going to get back? The horses are gone."

"I have ways," she said mysteriously, and kissed him.

…

They arrived at the palace at about eight, Cami's air carpet stopping at her window. They jumped off and through the window, and waved good-bye to the carpet. Cami collapsed on her bed, and sighed wearily. "What a day," she said.

"Yeah," agreed Tobe, flopping down next to her. "What now?"

Cami propped herself up on her elbows. "Well, we better go tell the others that we're okay. They're probably sick with worry."

"Sounds good to me," Tobe shrugged, and they trotted off to the library.

Cami opened the door to it, and her friends looked up to see who it was. Amoret immediately jumped up. "Cami! Where were you? I was so-" She stopped, seeing Tobe, and grinned mischievously, nodding knowingly. "Never mind." She smirked.

"What-_oh_," Cami said, realizing what it looked like. "No. No."

"I think 'yes, yes'," said Bys, catching on.

"Oh, _come on_," said Cami exasperatedly. "You really don't think-"

"Yes, we do think," said Fanog, smirking. Soon everyone was smiling and nodding.

Tobe looked confused. "What's going on?" He asked.

"_Nothing_ is," Cami said, emphasizing the 'n' in 'nothing'. "Nothing at all." She glared at her friends. They smiled back sweetly.

"Then where were you _all day_?" asked Amoret. "Don't tell me you were-"

"-hugging-"

"-kissing-"

"-making passionate love back in your bedroom-" At this last comment, Tobe finally caught on.

"Oh no," he said quickly. "We didn't do anything."

"Then where were you all day?" asked Amoret. "Remember, I have the Sight, so this better be the truth."

Cami threw her hands up in disgust. "All right, I'll tell you!"

"God, you're so _touchy_," muttered Chevi. "One might think that you were-"

"Don't start," Cami warned, but she couldn't help a little smile.

"Ha!" shouted Lyron. "Look, she's smiling!"

"Are you going to let me tell my story or what?' Cami asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Of course we are," said Amoret sweetly. "Shut up you guys!" she yelled. All was silent. She turned back to Cami. "Now where were we?"

"Well," began Cami pulling up a chair. She motioned Tobe to do the same.

"Great story!" said Fanog sarcastically.

"That was really interesting, that third thing she said?" added Bys, grinning.

Amoret glared at them, and they shut up.

"Since I've been working so hard, I decided to a day off," Cami said. There were shouts of 'No fair!' '_We_ have to work twenty-four/seven!' and 'Why don't _we_ get days off? We're the ones actually training!', but they were soon silenced.

"And since I hadn't seen Tobe for a while, I decided that I would pay him a visit," Cami continued, as though she had not been interrupted.

"A visit where?" asked Chevi, smirking.

"SHUT UP SO I CAN TELL MY STORY!" Cami screamed. Nobody said a word. "That's better. Now, we decided to go ride through the forest to the spot at the top of the hill. We sat there for a while talking and such-" She blushed a bit, but continued. "But during the sunset, we heard something funny."

She proceeded to tell how the soldiers attacked them, and how they escaped. Her friends leaned forward, captivated by her every word. When she finished, Lyron leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "No kissing?"

"No kissing," said Cami firmly, but she stole a glance at Amoret. The girl smiled back. Uh-oh, she thought. We have a winner. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm quite tired, and I'd like to go to bed."

"That's a good idea," said Amoret, and they all got up with various mutterings, and separated to their various rooms. Except for Amoret, who followed Cami back to her room. Once they were inside, Amoret sat on Cami's bed. "Now, what _really_ happened?"

"I _told_ you, nothing," Cami said, bustling around to hide her blush.

"There's no use lying," Amoret said practically. "I can tell you are, you know."

"Ok," said Cami, and she sat down next to her friend. "This is what _really_ happened…"

When she finished, Amoret had a broad smile on her face. "Yes!" she crowed. "I knew it!"

"Shut up!" Cami hissed. "Don't make such a big deal about it! I don't want anyone to know!"

"Sorry," she said, still grinning. "But I could tell. Seriously."

"It's that plain?" asked Cami worriedly.

Amoret tweaked her cheek. "To me," she said happily.

…

The next few days Cami worked as hard as she could at her lessons. Midwinter was approaching fast, and she was doing as much extra work as she could to earn money to buy her friends presents. On one free day, she went down to the marketplace and bought everyone gifts.

For Kel, she got a tiny china Yamani good luck cat, and she got Alanna a pair of gold and amethyst ear drops. Amoret was to receive a beautiful new dagger, and Tobe would get new saddle and tack, and on the border of the saddle, inter-woven with the design, she had these words inscribed: _I love you_. All of her other friends got various little sweets.

Though she looked forward to the holiday, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen. The Black One hadn't done anything for a while, which so far, was so good, but it made her uneasy. There was something afoot, and she didn't like it. Not one bit.

_Ooooohhhh, what is the Midwinter holiday to bring? You'll just have to wait and see! _

_I don't care if you just put a review saying, I read it, just review, people who read this but don't review! Thanks!_

_Mel_


	16. The Note

-Long, low whistle sounds- Wow, you guys must have liked that chapter! I got…8 reviews! Yay!

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** Sort of naughty. He does something later –a hit: Aly- but not in this chapter. In this particular chapter, he-wait, that'd spoil the surprise! Anyways, your story is great, and I always mean my compliments. It's okay about updates; I don't mind. _

_**Zeetah:** Thanks a lot! I like people thinking that my ideas and jokes are funny. Nobody laughs at them at home, and so I get sorta discouraged. But this has helped a lot! Thanks!_

_**TPFreak:** Lol. Vf. Yes, I liked the new ending so much better too. Thank my wonderful cousin Heather for that! Her parents said she could join, then when she didn't for a few days, they changed their minds and decided that this website was evil! How dare they! So, alas, she may not join. Unless…I have an idea! Must send email to Heather… Now, about your story…YOU MUST CONTINUE THE AMAZINGNESS OF TP! IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE ABANDONED! I hope that helps. Did you read my two reviews I just sent? Well, please take into consideration about Ryn…I like her a lot, but a lot of powers seem too…I don't know…extravagant. I actually think I gave Cami too many powers. Oh well. _

_**On top of cloud 9:** Yes…so sweet. I like the weddings! Yes, please update ASAP! And you haven't been to your moms house since? Your parents are divorced? I'm sorry if it's a touchy subject. All the grief in my writing, I actually haven't experienced, so I can't relate, but I'm really, really sorry. _

_**Syl Rose:** I know, everyone likes the other end better –sobs- everyone likes my cousin better than me…just joking! Anyways, you'll see what's up…_

_**Rachael/ RidiculousnessMakesTheWorldGoRound:** review one: Wow! I can't believe you found this! It's great! And of course, you would think my style is cliquey, but that was because you read the other story, and that story sucked so bad it's not even funny. And no duh, that was your quote. Love that quote! Yay! _

_Review two: I love this new pen-name! I love being on a fav stories list! It rocks! And I will NEVER make a Mary Sue. Or at least I promise I'll try not to. There's these people called the Mary-Sue Patrol, and they joined only to say have stupid people's stories are! It's really annoying. Btw, start another of your own stories!_

_**Darkjdeg:** Yes the revised chappy was good. I'm almost getting tired of typing it, no offense to you. And please update your story! I'm waiting! _

_Wow, a ton of reviews makes me happy! –jumps up and down- Now, for the story…_

Cami sat up and rubbed her eyes, the great gonging sound that woke her up every day still ringing in her ears. Why can't I get just get a few more minutes of- Then she shot out of bed, wide awake. It's midwinter! She thought excitedly. Grabbing a fresh tunic and breeches, she stepped behind the opaque screen and took a quick bath.

Oh crap, I'm gonna be late, she thought angrily, and hopped out of the door while tugging her left shoe on. She skidded into the mess hall just as the training master was beginning the prayers. He smiled kindly at her, and continued as she took her seat, cheeks burning.

"Where were you?" hissed Amoret from the corner of her mouth. "Dreaming about lover boy again?"

"No, I wasn't!" Cami defended herself quickly. "Anyway, will you shut up about it? You're the only one who knows, and I'd like to keep it that way!" Amoret smirked and said nothing.

"So mote it be," They murmured, and grabbed their trays. When Cami sat down again, Tobe smiled at her from across the table. She blushed and looked down. Ever since that night on the hill (which was about four weeks ago), she felt awkward about displaying their affection in public, choosing kisses in the shadows over hugs in the mess hall. But love came with a price, and Amoret was it. She took great pride in teasing Cami about the relationship, but always stopped short of great annoyance. Strangely enough, she hadn't said much over the past week, but Cami didn't mind, the reason obvious.

Cami poked her friend in the arm. "Do you want my apple?" she asked. Amoret didn't answer. Cami poked her harder, and repeated the question. Still no answer. Amoret was looking away, her expression glazed. Cami followed her friends gaze, and smirked. Her eyes had landed on Lyron, who was laughing with Chevi. "Oh look who's talking," she said. "'Dreaming about lover boy', is it? At least _I_ have the dignity not to _stare_."

Amoret turned around, her tan cheeks slightly tinted with red. "I don't really _like_ him, like him. Not like you and Tobe. I just-" Her shoulders slumped. "Actually, I don't know. I used to like him a lot. Except lately, I like Jal."

Cami frowned; something wasn't right. "Jal?' she asked, taking a sip of her milk. "I thought you didn't like him much."

"I didn't before, but now, I don't know. He seems more, well, he seems different." She said this in an odd voice, her eyes glinting weirdly.

Cami shrugged, but her mind was in turmoil. She didn't like this. It was almost like someone had bewitched Amoret, making her like Jal, because Amoret usually wasn't like this. But if that was how her friend felt, then that's how it should be, she thought doubtfully.

Today there was to be none of the regular classes, just etiquette, so the pages could work on serving the Midwinter feasters. Cami, being a mage –student, and not really a page, would actually go to the banquet. Master Oakbridge saw this as a cause for joy, so Cami played guinea pig for the pages. By the tenth time he hand was dipped in a water dish, she was getting bored.

This is really annoying, she thought, staring at her hand, which had just been washed for the upteenth time. I bet by the end of this, my hand will be all pruny and old. Maybe I can spice this up a bit… She whispered something into the next page's ear, Fanog. He nodded, and stood still with the accursed water dish in his hands. Instead of dipping her hand in, Cami made the water float and shaped it into a little man with a hat and a cane. She twitched her fingers, and he began to dance across the floor, dropping little bits of water everywhere. An outburst of laughter distracted the teacher from scolding Amoret from dropping water on the floor, but when he whirled around, his face already red and prepared to yell, but all he saw was an innocent-faced Cami dipping her hand into the water bowl.

This, Cami thought, is going to be very interesting.

…

All too soon, everyone was sent up to get ready for the big banquet. Cami was walking down the hall, absorbed into her thoughts, when someone smashed into her coming out from the library door.

"What the-" she yelled, and fell over onto the cold floor, but she threw her hands out just in time. "Watch where you're going, will you?" She stood, dusting herself off, muttering angrily. Then she had a not so great thought. What if it was a noble? She thought.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry-" she began, and saw who it was. She grinned. "Oh, hi, Jal," she said nicely.

The boy just bent over and scrabbled around on the floor, trying to grab all his books at once. One book landed at Cami's feet. "Oh, here-let me help," she said, and grabbed the book. She stared at the title. "'Hypnosis: A Guide to the Refined Art of Mind Control'?" she said, dumbfounded.

"Give that back!" he hissed, and snatched it out her hands, glaring angrily.

"I was just trying to-" she protested.

"I don't care what you were 'just trying to'," he sneered. "Just get out of my way. I have places to be too, you know." He crammed all his books back into his bag, and took off without another word, wind whistling behind him.

"_Touch_-y," Cami muttered. "I was just trying to help." She walked off, and went into her room.

She opened her closet and started to pick out her clothes. Maybe-suddenly there was a loud pounding sound on the door. Cami threw open the door, puzzled, and saw a disheveled Amoret holding a wrinkled gold and red tunic, panting.

"_What_ are you doing here?" asked Cami, putting her hands on her hips, but she couldn't help but give a tiny half-smile.

Amoret grinned sheepishly and held up her tunic in surrender. "I can't get it on _straight_," she said, looking frustrated. "And besides, I was hoping that we could get ready together."

"Sure!" Cami beamed. "Come on in!"

A few moments later, another furious pounding ensued on her door. It's gonna break down one of these days, she thought, rolling her eyes. She flung it open once again, revealing Gydo and Violeta.

"Want to get ready for the banquet together?" asked Gydo brightly.

"Sure, but Amoret is here…" At the mention of the other girl's name, Cami's two friends' faces fell, and they turned away, about to walk out the door. "Hey, where are you going? I said you could!" Cami cried.

"You're busy," Violeta muttered, her brown curls obscuring her face. "You don't have the time."

Cami recognized what was happening instantly. She was spending so much time, almost too much time, with her page friends, that she had been neglecting her other friends. "I'm _never_ too busy for you guys, and don't you ever believe that I will be. Now come inside!" She shooed them in with waves of her hands.

Just as they were pulling out a necklace from the bag of clothes they had brought, Amoret came out from behind the screen. "Now how do you think-" Then she saw who was with Cami, and her face crinkled up. "I didn't know that you had invited…_others_."

Gydo and Violeta went immediately stiff. "We were just leaving," spat Gydo, and they grabbed for their bag.

"Stop!" cried Cami. They turned, looking at her expectantly, as though they wanted her to throw Amoret out for insulting them like that. "Amoret, what was _that_ for? Gydo and Violeta are my friends, and I don't like you treating them that way!"

"But-" she protested.

"But what?" Cami put her hands on her hips and looked at her friend.

Amoret blushed. "I'm sorry," she muttered, "I guess I'm just used to having you to myself."  
"Well, get _un_-used to it," Cami said, not unkindly. Then she looked back at Gydo and Violeta. "Now, please try and get along? You guys are all my friends, and I don't like being in the middle."

They shook hands, and soon they were all talking and laughing like there was no tomorrow. They all got dressed, and admired each other's outfits.

Cami had decided to wear a sheer white dress and a light blue shawl embroidered with tiny aquamarine stones. She had slim light blue slippers, and she wore her Elemental necklace openly. Her golden tresses was done up on her head, and aquamarine gems hung from her earlobes.

Violeta wore a deep, dark green dress, with gold brocade and lace around the bodice and just above the neckline, which was low cut. A simple gold chain hung around her neck and a tiny garnet pendant dangled in the shadow of her breasts. Her brown eyes were big and soft, accented in the liner and blush she had tinted on her skin. Her wavy dark hair was unadorned, save for a small braid with a gold bead at the end. She had Carthaki relatives, and shared their love of jewelry.

Gydo wore a pale pink gown, while a gray sash embroidered with the same color pearls encircled her tiny waist. Her lovely black curls were splayed around her shoulders, and a gray pearl on a silver chain was around her neckline. The tiny pink slippers on her feet also had a few gray pearls.

Amoret, since she was a page, had to wear the required uniform, which was a red and gold tunic with gold leggings. The tunic had her fief's emblem on it; a sparrow with a crown of rosemary on its head. Though she was serving at the banquet, she was going to eat a quick dinner and change into her gown afterwards. Her outfit, she informed them with a wink, was going to be a surprise.

Amoret had to leave at seven, though the banquet didn't begin for another hour. Cami, Gydo, and Violeta fooled around for a while, talking and catching up on things.

At seven forty-five, the girls headed to the banquet hall. Cami stifled a gasp. The gold and diamond chandelier shone as the light it gave off struck every available surface; glinting off china plates and throwing beams on silverware. The huge ebony table was in the center of the room, and there were scores upon scores off glass, china, and precious gems. A waiter appeared instantly at their side. "If I may?" the man queried, bowed, and led them to their seats. Cami sat at the end farthest away from the head, next to Gydo and Sarra Salamin. Kel sat near them too, along with Numair, Daine, baby Rikash, Dom, and Master Lindhall Reed, one of the page teachers. Cami looked over all the chattering nobles heads for Tobe, but he simply wasn't there. Cami would have wondered further, but the pages were coming around with the water bowls.

When Fanog, who was serving their end of the table, came by with the water bowl, Master Reed leaned forward and said eagerly to Cami, "I heard about the extent of your powers from Numair here. Do you think you could give me a tiny demonstration?"

Cami grinned. "Why certainly, sir." She performed the same trick she had for the pages; the dancing water man. The people around her clapped, and Fanog stifled a snicker as he moved on to the next person/

Cami became very interested in Lindhall's talks. It turned out that he was a very educated mage. He also had a vast variety of things to say, and Cami felt herself inadvertently listening and asking questions.

This made the long banquet fly by very quickly, and soon the pages were coming around with the pastries for the dessert course. After everyone had eaten their fill, the queen and king rose and glided out into the ballroom. Cami's fists clenched; she had not forgotten the king's slight on her education.

They all entered the giant hall, and soft music began to play, inviting swaying nobles out onto the dance floor. Cami smiled as Gydo was whirled out onto the floor by Chevi, who seemed to have skipped dinner altogether, if the growling noises from his stomach as they waltzed by was any indication. But where was Tobe? Cami weaved her way through the entire room, refusing to believe that he wasn't there. Soon she had to retire for he search, and went looking for Amoret instead.

She quickly found her friend, who was looking quite pretty in a green dress, but what really made Cami stare was who she was with. _Jal?_ She thought incredulously. It can't be.

But it was.

She grabbed Amoret by the elbow and pulled her aside. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"I'm dancing with Jal, of course. What's wrong with you, Cami?" Amoret said.

But it was Amoret that there was something wrong with, Cami thought. She had a blank look on her face, as though someone had taken a bucket and washed away all her thoughts.

"Nothing. What's wrong with _you_?" Cami asked, unable to stop herself.

"Excuse me? What did you just say to me?"

"_What's wrong with you?_"

"Cami, if you're going to act strange like this, I don't know if I want to be around you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my dance partner." Amoret brushed past Cami rudely, walked haughtily off to Jal, who was waiting expectantly by the punch bowl. Cami stared at them, stunned. What had happened to her friend?  
She continued to stare at them as they danced by. Suddenly, Jal turned to face her, and his cold green eyes bored into her. A burning hot pain shot through her arm. She clapped a hand to it. "Ouch!"

"What's wrong?" asked Violeta, who stepped away from Phiran, looking concerned.

"Nothing, nothing," Cami said quickly. "I think I'll just…ah…go up to my room to freshen up a bit." She walked off quickly as Violeta gave her an odd look.

Cami opened her door. What had happened back there? She sat on her bed, deep in thought. The crunch of paper under her elbow woke her up, and she found an envelope.

"What will it say now?" she asked sarcastically. She opened it and clapped a hand to her mouth.

_Hypnotism has its uses, doesn't it?_

…

So sorry about not updating! I've been REALLY busy lately. Sorry! Well, this chappy's a bit short, but I hope the suspense at the end is good!  
Mel

_P.S. New story: Ask Evvy. HP fic._


	17. What happened? And where Tobe was

Heyy guys, sorry 'bout the delay! I've been working on my other story, Ask Evvy-check it out-and I got lots of reviews and I had tons of inspiration, so I just kept writing! I decided that I was letting down you guys, and decided to update!

_**Zeetah:** Yes, a chappy for you! Yeah, I suppose it is, but I never have seen proof of it. You've read about it? Where? In what book? I MUST KNOW! Lol XD. _

_**Rachael:** Your name is too hard to spell out, you know that? Yeah, I understand. It does seem a bit cheesy when I think about it. Fiction Press. I joined just for fun, I guess. I could also publish poetry, or a newsletter. That'd be fun. And yes, this site must be on the Internet. You don't like that stuff usually? Wow. I really like it, cuz it gives more life to the story, if you know what I mean. Bricks and balloons! Yay! –brick drops on head-ouch…_

_**On top of cloud 9:** Aww, I liked it too. You will see where he was, and there will be a bit of fluff in this chapter. Remarried in less than a month and she didn't tell you? Okay, that is just plain wrong. Though I bet they're already married by now. Do you like the guy? Hope you do. I don't know what I'd do if my parents were divorced. You're probably a lot stronger than I am._

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** You shall see, you shall see. And he did hypnotize Amoret. o0o0o. Yay! Suspense! And thank you so much for reading Evvy. You're one of the only Cami reviewers who did! I hope you like the last chapter. I updated a bit ago._

_**TPFreak:** Oh, good. I don't hate her, I just…I dunno…Yeah, me too. I hate that you can't type as fast as you think! Lol. Yeah, I wish I had put more problems…urgh! Anyway, I want to tell you something: there is a death in this chapter. Yes, a death. Suspense! _

_**Syl Rose:** Points for being the only other Cami reviewer who's an Evvy reviewer! Yep, hypnosis. I thought it would be a good plot twist too, he he. _

_Now that these are done, off to write the part you really want to hear: the actual chapter!_

Cami crushed the paper in her palm, face hard with anger. One name repeated itself over and over in her mind: _Jal. _But how could he? How could he betray them all? He was in league with Maggur, for sure: how could he have gotten those globes elsewise?

She jumped to her feet and let the paper float to the floor as she whirled out the door, a mass of fabric wind. She slammed the door shut and continued walking down the hallway. She couldn't go back to the dance and act normal while he bewitched her friend. She had to tell somebody.

But who would believe her? It was her word against his, and unfortunately, that didn't count for much. He was a page, almost a squire, while to most of the palace, she was simply a mage-student with no truth magic. Everyone would just assume that they had a disagreement, and scoff at her.

Though it curdled her insides to leave the dance with Jal happy and free, she couldn't do anything about it. She went outside instead, to get a breath of cool air.

She sniffed the air as it blew past her, writhing around her wrists and ankles. "You're the only friend I have now," she murmured to it sadly. It twined around her like a cat, as though to make her feel better.

"Wait, that's not right," she said aloud. "Tobe."

The problem was, were was he? He wasn't at the banquet, and she certainly couldn't go bursting into his rooms. She sighed, admitting defeat, and sat down on the hill, and propped her chin on her hand. Letting the breeze fly past her, a tear trickled down her cheek. She sniffled and wiped it away, and a flash of light caught her eye.

She twisted to see it better, and found the source quickly. The stables.

"Who on earth could be in there at this time of day?" she muttered, and stood, dusting off her skirts. Curious, she headed down there, stopping only once to take off the slippers that hindered her descent. As she got closer and closer, she could see a moving figure in the steamed up window.

She quickly reached her destination, and put her ear against the door before opening it, to make sure that she wasn't going to disturb anything. All she heard was an occasional grunt and hooves stopping, and the sound of a pitchfork being lifted and hay being scooped up. Certain that she wasn't going to interrupt anyone, she pushed open the door.

It made a soft creaking sound, and she quietly stepped inside and shut it slowly, careful not to disrupt what looked like a stable boy hard at work.

"Excuse me?" she said softly.

The boy dropped the pitchfork like it was made of fire, and whirled around to face her. "What in Mithros's name-" He stopped and his eyes widened. "Cami?" he said in shock.

"Tobe! What are you doing here?" Cami nearly laughed in delight.

He immediately shut his mouth mulishly.

"Aw, come one," Cami said, giving him a half-smile. "Don't tell me you skipped the ball to work!"

"Actually, I didn't," he muttered, and bent down to pick up his pitchfork again.

"Then why are you down here?" Cami asked suspiciously.

"That's none of your business."

"Actually," Cami said, getting annoyed, "it is. I thought you trusted me."

"I do!"

"Then why won't you tell me?"

"Because…" he hesitated.

"…"

"…I didn't want to hurt you. Or myself."

"Tobe, you know you can tell me anything. I thought that we loved each other, and-"

Tobe leaned on his pitchfork. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"About telling me things?"

"No, about our love."

Cami nearly choked. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Look, you're a mage, and soon you're going to be a queen."

"Like that matters!"

"It does. Listen, you're going to be one of the most important people in this world one day, being queen of Scanra as well as the only Elemental mage in existence. Me, I'm a peasant. That's all I'll ever be. We can't be together. You need someone more high standard, more…more…more _royal_. Someone who has money, and a rank. Like Jal. I can't provide anything for you, not even a copper piece." His eyes were filled with pain and tears. "This is as hard for me to say as you to hear it," he whispered.

Cami looked at him. "You c-can't. You wouldn't say t-this. It's a dream. It's got to be."

"No, it's not," Tobe told her gently. "I don't even have a tunic to my name, let alone anything I would need to marry you. I doing this for our own good."

Cami seized him by his tunic and kissed him roughly. When she pulled away, she saw the tears in his eyes.

"That's not going to change anything," he said miserably.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She picked him up again and held him up against the wall. "I love you. I thought that you loved me. I don't give a damn about what you own. All I know is that I love you, and that's all that matters. And if…if…" She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "if you're going to break something wonderful off for something as dumb as this, I…I don't _ever _want to see your face again!"

She threw him again the wall again and ran out the door, sobbing uncontrollably. She stumbled blindly through trees and over roots, tearing her feet. But she didn't care. She fell on her knees in the grass, and lay out there, crying.

"Cami," said Tobe's soft voice.

"No," she whispered.

He turned her over so she lay on her back. Cami could see the tears dripping down his tan cheeks cheeks.

"Go," she said.

"No," he said.

"GO!" she screamed.

"No. I love you too much."

That very statement took her breath away. "Re-really?" She hardly dared to breathe.

"Of course."

"Prove it."

Tobe grinned, and kissed her softly, then passionately on her lips. It was a warm and needy kiss. Cami melted. He loved her. He _loved _her!

…

They both entered the banquet hall, big spots of red on their cheeks. Gydo whirled up to them.

"Hey, you two," she said happily. "Where've you been?"

They exchanged glances. "Oh, nowhere," she said airily.

Gydo smirked. "Righttttt."

"Really," protested Tobe.

"Uh-huh," she smiled. "Then why are Cami's clothes and hair all messed up?"  
"Er, I found Tobe in the stables, and I decided to help him," Cami said after a moment's pause.

"Right! We were, weren't we, Cami?" Tobe said.

"Yes!"

"Ok, I'll accept your answer for now, but I want a full-fledged report _later_," Gydo said pointedly, and she whirled off with Chevi once more.

"That was a close one," said Cami, leaning her head against Tobe's chest.

"Yeah," he admitted. "A few more minutes, and we would've told her that we weren't virgins anymore."

Cami smiled deliriously, and they danced the night away.

When it was over, Cami floated out into her bedroom. The horrible experiences of the night had been forgotten, and she grinned as she got dressed in her night clothes.

A knock came from the door, and Cami, still smiling, opened it. Gydo flounced into the room and sat on the bed, looking anxious.

"_So?_" she said, leaning forward.

"So what?"

"So what happened?"

"Er…"

"Oh, come on. You can tell me!"

"I'm not sure that I want to."

"Why not?"

"It's…private."

Gydo smiled. "That's as good as telling me."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

"Awwwww…but I don't want anyone to know yet!" Cami protested.

"Too bad."

"Promise you won't say anything?"  
"Promise."

"Promise promise?"

"YES!"

"Sheesh, don't get your panties in a twist."

"I'm not!"

"Yeah right. That's why your face is all red," Cami teased.

Gydo rolled her eyes, and Cami proceeded to tell her the details of the night.

…

Jal sat in the darkness of the shadows, tapping his fingers together. She knew. He knew it was foolish to put that note there, after she had seen his books, but he couldn't help it. The best part was that she couldn't tell anyone.

It was her word against his, after all. He was training to be a knight, and his fief was highly respected, while she was a mage-student, and though her powers were unusual, they weren't about to be truth magic. She had no proof, and they both knew it.

"Frederick!" he snapped, and a tall bulky man appeared at his side. It was the officer, the one from the patrol. When Jal had found him, he was drenched and half-crazed with revenge. After Jal had seen his emblem, he readily brought the man into the palace, dried him off and insisted on knowing everything. After a few sips of wine, the story spilled out; the boy named Cam in his troop who had 'falled off the river', how they found him when they were about to raid the castle, how he turned out to be a she, and how she threw the into the lake. Jal had grasped his collar, and demanded to see the list. He found the address of Cami's parents.  
"Frederick, I want the crystal globe! Now!" The globe was a way of contacting Maggur.

"Yes sir, right away sir," the man stumbled as he bowed, and ran off. He returned moments later, with a glowing orb in his hand.

Jal seized it greedily. "King Maggur," he said silkily.

"Jal," the king acknowledged. The king was tall and his filthy brown hair was infested with crawling maggots. Jal was repulsed, but he knew the king would not like it, so he stood his ground.

"Master, I have got the girl in the palm of my hand," he lied. It was only a half lie, for he did. Almost. "Do you have the parents?"

"Yessss," Maggur grinned, showing his awful cracked and rotting teeth. "They are in the dungeons. See for yourself."

The king's image was replaced by a picture of a cold, dungeon wall. Two people were dangling from it, clad in only chains and rags. Blood trickled down the man's head, and their hair was matted with blood and dirt. The woman's breath was coming in gasps, and there were whips streaks across her face. The clothes were torn and had stains and blood over them. They were ragged and helpless as their sightless eyes stared into the darkness.

Jal gulped. I must be brave, he told himself. But he knew the image would be burned into his skull forever.

"The woman is perfect for rape," The king was back. "I myself have done it many a time. Ooh ooh, yum."

Jal smiled evilly. This is what he did. Pain and destruction.

"I can bring you down here through this globe if you wanted to give it a try," the king offered.

"Maybe later," Jal massaged his forehead. It would not be good to refuse the king. "I have many a matter to attend to."

"So what should I do with them?" the king thought aloud.

"Ummm…kill them?" Jal suggested.

"Mayhaps. But the woman…"

"You could always do her body." Though Jal hated this thought, it was to stay on the king's good graces, he told himself.

"Nah. I'll keep her alive. The man will be dead by morning."

"Hmmm…"

"No, wait. I'll keep him." Judging from the evil smile on the king's face, Jal did not think that this was a good thing.

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing that your precious little mind wouldn't be corrupted by," the king chuckled, and the globe went blank.

…

When Cami woke up again, she felt that something was extremely wrong. There was tension in the air, and she shivered.

Suddenly there was a flash of a picture in her eyes. _Her mother screamed, blood rolling down her head. Her clothes were torn, full of blood and dirt. The tang of fear was everywhere, and a cruel laugh echoed around her…_

Cami was scared to death. "Irnai!" she shouted. "IRNAI!"

The girl popped into the room. "What is it now?" she asked irritably.

Cami stared at her. "How'd you do that?"

"Never mind me! What the hell were you squealing about?"

Cami remembered. "Irnai, go to my parents house. Go check on them. Something happened to them."

Irnai sighed and rolled her eyes. "I saw them two days ago! What could possibly happen?"

"I don't know!" Cami screamed. "I just know something's wrong!"

The girl looked alarmed. "Ok, ok, I'm going," she disappeared.

Cami walked up and down the length of her room, reducing her fingernails to shreds. What could have happened? What _did_ happen? What was taking Irnai so long?

A crack announced her friends arrival, and Cami nearly jumped on her, she was so anxious for an answer.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" She screeched.

Irnai was as white as a sheet. "I don't know. I checked the house, and they were…gone. I just don't know."

_Hey, another chapter! Yay! Sorry about the sucky updates!_

_Mel_


	18. Parents gone and dancing

**Disclaimer: **I really think that I wouldn't be writing on here if I was Tamora Pierce…what do YOU think?

Oh, and btw, Winding Circle fans, The Will of the Empress has come out!

Review answers will now be at the bottom of the story.

Cami grabbed Irnai by the shoulders and shook her. "What do you mean you don't know?" she screeched.

Irnai looked at her, vaguely annoyed. "Would you mind letting go of me first?"

Cami rolled her eyes and set Irnai down gently, and waited impatiently as Irnai straightened herself up. "SO?"

Irnai's face turned serious again. "I went to the front door, and felt that there was something wrong. It was too empty. The door was swinging in the breeze, and the curtains were fluttering. I went inside, searched through the entire house, calling their names…they weren't there."

Cami slumped to the ground. While she was dining, dancing, and…and…and having the best night of her life, her own parents-well, maybe not her _own_, but the people who cared for her all her life-were kidnapped, at the very least. She didn't even want to think about the worst.

"I'm so sorry, Cami…" Irnai said, bending down and patting her on the shoulder.

Cami remembered the tang of blood, the cold of the stone dungeon-dungeon! That's where they were kept! Maybe, just maybe, Irnai could go there… "Irnai," she said, straightening. "I had a vision type thing, and it showed my parents. In a dungeon."

Irnai was not impressed. "And this means…?"

"Well, maybe you could use your power to go there, through my mind!" said Cami excitedly. She looked at Irnai, who was looking at her skeptically. "Oh, please, Irnai! This is the only chance that I'll ever get to see my parents again…" She trailed off, begging Irnai with her eyes.

Irnai sighed. "I guess I'll go."

"Oh, thank you!" Cami hugged Irnai hard.

"I can only do this if you let go of me," said Irnai, her voice muffled.

Cami blushed. "Right."

She let go of Irnai, and the girl stepped back, looking slightly miffed, and disappeared.

Cami frowned. Why was Irnai so reluctant to go and find her parents?

She didn't have an answer to that, and frowned and decided to go back downstairs and join the party. She swept down the stairs after making sure her jewelry and hair was intact-it had been quite messed up after…that-and smiled graciously at all the nobles as she passed them by, watching her friends dance.

Gydo and Chevi were still sweeping across the floor, arm in arm, and Violeta had managed to snatch up Phiran, again. Amoret was standing by the wall, refusing Jal with an annoyed expression on her face. Cami grinned. Looks like the hypnotism wore off, she thought happily.

"Hello, Am," Cami said. "What's up?"

"Jal," Amoret spat. "He's been asking me to dance all night, and I can't imagine why!"

Cami stifled a giggle behind one hand. Amoret obviously didn't remember her previous actions of the night.

Amoret looked at her curiously. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Ok then," Amoret stood, and looked longingly at the dancing couples. "D'you think that anyone will ask me?"

Cami looked at her wistful expression and grinned. "I think so."

Lyron whirled up and bowed to Amoret. "May I have this dance?" he asked, his brown eyes twinkling.

Amoret turned to Cami and smiled excitedly. Cami grinned back, and Amoret whirled away.

Cami then settled back into brooding about her parents. Where were they? How were they doing?

She stood up angrily. Jal had no right to do this! No right at all! She stalked up to him, and he stared into her eyes. "Yes?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Those eyes…so green…and deep, Cami thought dizzily. Then she steadied herself. I can't let him get the better of me.

"Er…" she said. She was confused. What was she going to do anyway? Run up to him and scream? She felt suddenly foolish.

"I was meaning to talk to you anyway," said Jal pleasantly.

"Um, really?" Cami cleared her throat.

"Yeah. I wanted to apologize for my behavior when you bumped into me today. It was rude and unkind. Will you forgive me?" Jal pleaded with his eyes.

Cami was taken aback. She wasn't expecting him to _apologize_. It was too…gentlemanly for what he had done. But maybe he didn't send the note, she thought suddenly. There's a chance. We could just be…friends.

"Uh…thanks," she said, blushing.

Jal smiled. "I feel a lot better."

Cami looked away. He was flirting with her.

A new song was starting up, and Jal bowed with a flourish. "Would you like to dance?"

Not particularly, thought Cami, but there was no way she could say that without being rude, so she grudgingly accepted. "Sure."

"Great!" Jal grinned and they started to dance.

Jal was a great dancer. He seemed to move with the music, flowing with its tune. Suddenly the song stopped. Cami looked up at the stage quizzically, and her eyes nearly bugged out. Amoret? she thought in wonder. What is she _doing_ up there?

"Excuse me," said Amoret.

Everyone looked up at her expectantly, and Amoret blushed a bit, but she continued on with her speech.

"I would like to sing a song I wrote myself," Amoret said.

Cami stared. She didn't know Amoret sang.

"This is a slow song, so find a dance partner," she continued.

Jal smiled invitingly at Cami. Again, it would be awfully mean of her not to, so she reluctantly nodded her head.

Amoret cleared her throat again, and the music began, a slow, haunting tune.

_It's the year of broken screams_

_All is not what it seems_

_I'm a cheerful happy mask_

_But if you want you can ask_

_-_

_Ask about my broken lies_

_Ask about my severed ties_

_To the rest of the world_

_The primped and curled world_

_-_

_Never thought I'd come back here_

_Where you made my shed my tears_

_So broken up_

_Inside_

Cami swayed to the music. It was so amazing. Amoret's voice was clear and beautiful, and when Cami looked at Jal, she could tell that he was enjoying it too.

_It's the year of broken screams_

_All is not what it seems_

_I'm a cheerful happy mask_

_But if you want you can ask_

_-_

_Ask about my broken heart_

_Ask about how it would start_

_Start the chain of unbreakable bad luck_

_Start my chain of unbreakable bad luck_

_-_

_So you ask how life has been_

_After you ruined me with sin_

_I stare at your dark shimmery eyes_

_Wondering how you can sleep at night_

_After what you have done to me_

Cami started. What you have done to me…Jal had done her wrong. She tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron, so she was forced to keep dancing. To ignore the horrible thing she was doing, she listened intently to the lyrics of the song.

_It's the year of broken screams_

_All is not what it seems_

_I'm a cheerful happy mask_

_But if you want you can ask_

_-_

_Never thought I'd fall so deep_

_Never thought I'd fall asleep_

_To your dancing image_

_In front of my eyes_

_-_

_Never thought that you would throw me away_

_Never thought I'd want you to pay_

_But pay up_

_So I_

_Can rest_

_-_

_So here I am_

_Alone again_

_Forever seeking a dream_

_Leaving you back_

_On the track_

_Of my unbroken scream_

_-_

_So this is what I mean to you_

_I guess I wasted my love_

_-_

_I guess I wasted my love_

_-_

_I guess I wasted my love_

The song ended, and the crowd erupted in applause. Amoret curtsied and walked off the stage. Finally, thought Cami. Now Jal will let go of me. She tried to pull away.

He wouldn't let go!

Then she looked desperately around the room for help. She saw Tobe leaning against the door, mouth open in shock. Their eyes connected and he turned and ran.

Cami tried to go after him, but Jal held tight.

"What's the matter?" he said cruelly. "Lost something?"

_Wow, short chapter, I know. But I thought it was necessary. I'm sorry about the updates!_

_**Rachael:** Me too._

_**Syl Rose:** Well, this didn't explain much about her parents, but I hope you liked it anyway._

_**Haz:** There are not lots of typos! And we talked about the on the hill thing. Yeah, stupid machine wouldn't make them come up. The dedications._

_**Zerrin of the Wind:** I hope you liked this chapter too. Update your own story though!_

_**Lady Shannon of Rose Peak:** Yeah, Maggur is a freak. And I know I spelt Alanna wrong. And the anonymous reviews thing? Well…you click on reviews when you're logged in, and on top the thingy says 'Reviews Main, **Anonymous**, etc.' Click anonymous, then the little button that says 'enable.' And that's it!_

_**Padme Amidala2121:** I 3 cliffies lol. Sorry about the suspense…hope you continue reading this story!_

_**On top of cloud 9:** I don't mind that much about the reviews. But you reviewed now! Which is good! _

_**Kathryn of Jesslaw:** You can't hate me, I'm the writer lol. And I like cliffies lol._

_Well, press the button! You know you want to!_


End file.
